Governor signs bill unsealing Indiana adoption records

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana adoptees born between 1941 and 1994 might be able to access their birth records with a change being made to state law.

Gov. Mike Pence on Friday signed a bill that will open those adoption records beginning in July 2018 unless the biological parents file a non-disclosure form with the Indiana State Department of Health.

Opponents of the change had maintained that biological parents had an expectation of privacy during that time.

Pence said he agreed with supporters that the adoptees should have greater opportunities for seeking information about their medical histories and heritage.

Hoosiers for Equal Access to Records president Pam Kroskie says the change is a victory for hundreds of thousands of people adopted in Indiana.