Comments needed on embargo proposal
Posted on Facebook by the President of the Delaware Genealogical Society:
The link to the bill information shown in the image is to this page of the Delaware Geneal Assembly website.
Access to vital records is essential for genealogical research and critical to those researching inherited medical conditions and military repatriation cases, where the effort is to return the remains of fallen service members to their families. Identification theft is not prevented by closing these records and leaving death records wide open actually prevents it.
There is no federal standard for embargo periods on vital records. Some states are open record states and these documents are readily available immediately. Any misuse of vital records, and particularly death records, can be avoided simply by marking all copies not certified for the persons or family members involved as research or genealogical copies so they can’t be used for identification.
If you care about records access and have any ties to Delaware at all, please speak out now. As stated by the President of the Delaware Genealogical Society, “If you are a Delaware resident, I encourage you to write or call your Delaware State Senator to share your thoughts. If you live out of state, then contact the Committee Chair, Brian Townsend.”
The hearing is on Wednesday, June 5, so there’s no time to lose.
Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “ACTION ALERT: Delaware vital records,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 31 May 2019).
I fully concur that records should be open (within limits unless contrary to law). I did a quick look at the Ohio Revised Code (http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/3705) and did not see an embargo regarding access to records. The aggravating issue is the Department of Health is pushing the short form versus the long form. I have preference of long form.
But, the law was changed here regarding adoptees getting birth certificates in the sense that a court order is no longer required redact names of the biological parents. Used to be such records were sealed or parent’s names redacted; not anymore.
Judy, many thanks for sharing this update. Delaware genealogists appreciate your support!
I have never understood why marriage and now civil unions are part of this whole “privacy” debacle. Isn’t the whole purpose of the marriage/union is that it is a public declaration by the couple of their relationship? Why else were there banns for three weeks?