Ohio: Hell Freezes Over Again. Ohio Catholic Conference Supports OBC Access
Hell froze over in Ohio last Wednesday for the second time, when The Ohio Catholic Conference endorsed HB61, a bill to restore the right of unrestricted OBC access to those person adopted in Ohio between January 1, 1964-September 17, 1996. The access right of those adopted after that date is left high and dry due to the 1996 Disclosure Veto compromise which gives biological parents the special privilege that no other person has, to bar the state from releasing the OBC. Ohio Legislative Services which nitpicks every bill for legalities that crosses its path in the Statehouse, won’t let that one go.Yet. Ohio Vital Statistics does not keep track of the number of DVs submitted but it’s believed to be a small number, perhaps less than 20.(I”ll be writing more about this later.) You can read Tobin’s testimony here. And, here’s a picture of the relevant testimony taken by Linda Niehaus, whom I sat with: “…we are pleased to support HB 61.” (Posted with permission of Linda Niehaus) The hearing started out with a whimper, but ended with a bang (apologies to TS Eliot). About 45-50 witnesses and supporters from around the state attended. Due to “floor business” the hearing, scheduled for 3:00 PM didn’t start until nearly 5:00 PM From past Continue Reading →