Does access to information discourage people from adopting?
No. According to the 2000 Census, Alaska, a state with full access, has the highest rate per capita of adopted children under 18 representing 3.9% of the population. National Center for Court Statistics data shows that the rate of adoptions per thousand live births are higher in Alaska and Kansas which do not have sealed records laws, than in their neighboring states or the nation as a whole. Today, access to information rather than secrecy influences birth parents to choose adoption. Adoptions that permit information sharing have risen from 36% in 1987 to 80% today. (Source: Evan B.
