Access To ALL Tennessee Adoption Records Halted
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
     Please re-distibute freely
July 1, 1996
American Adoption Congress
    1000 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 9
    Washington DC 20036
    (202) 483-3399
 Access To ALL Tennessee Adoption Records Halted
On June 27, U.S. District Court Judge John Nixon granted a temporary 
restraining order from Nashville, TN arresting the implementation of 
Tennessee's 1996 open records laws. Until today, it was believed that the 
restraining order affected only those adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive 
parents who had post-1951 adoptions. 
The restraining order has been interpreted as applying to ALL TN adoptees, 
birth families and adoptive families. All records for all individuals who 
surrendered or adopted a child in TN, or who were born and adopted in TN are 
now under the restraining order. The restraining order now applies to all of 
the more than 500 applicants for pre-1951 records who have not yet received 
their information.
A July 25, 1996 hearing date has been set at the U.S. District Court in 
Nashville under Judge Nixon. Adoption reform advocates nationwide are 
mobilizing to intervene in this case affecting thousands of adoptees,birth 
parents, and adoptive parents.
The American Adoption Congress has established a task force, TENOR (Tennessee 
Open Records) to provide a legal defense fund and a network of support to 
uphold the civil right of TN-born adult adoptees to have their original 
records of birth. Contributions to this fund can be sent to the American 
Adoption Congress, 1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 9,Washington DC 20036, 
with the check made payable to "AAC/TENOR."
Contact:
    
         L. Anne Babb, Ph.D.
              President, American Adoption Congress
              Voice/FAX: (405) 329-9294
              E-Mail: AACR76A@prodigy.com
          Denny Glad
               President, Tennessee Coalition for Adoption Reform
               (901) 386-2197
      
 
 
--- Maximus 3.01
---------------