Denise K. Castellucci

In the following viewpoint, Denise K. Castellucci argues that adoption records should be opened because only the adopted individual has the right to investigate or bypass the facts of his or her origins. As an adopted adult, Castellucci believes that withholding adoption records undermines the adopted adult’s right to his or her heritage and identity. For instance, she claims that sealed record laws have prevented some adults from obtaining passports. Castellucci is national coordinator of National Adoptee Rights Day and founder of Voices of Adoption, an Internet-based adoption resource center.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How does Castellucci illustrate her claim that a birth is in part a public event?
2. According to the author, what was the original purpose of sealing adoption records?
3. How does Castellucci respond to the argument that birth...