North Carolina General Statutes 48-3-205. Disclosure of background information
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, before placing a minor for adoption, an individual or agency placing the minor, or the individual’s agent, must compile and provide to the prospective adoptive parent a written document containing the following information:
(1) The date of the birth of the minor and the minor’s weight at birth and any other reasonably available nonidentifying information about the minor that is relevant to the adoption decision or to the minor’s development and well-being;
Terms Used In North Carolina General Statutes 48-3-205
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- following: when used by way of reference to any section of a statute, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding or next following that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
- state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories, so called; and the words "United States" shall be construed to include the said district and territories and all dependencies. See North Carolina General Statutes 12-3
(2) Age of the biological parents in years at the time of the minor’s birth;
(3) Heritage of the biological parents, which shall consist of nationality, ethnic background, and race;
(4) Education of the biological parents, which shall be the number of years of school completed by the biological parents at the time of the minor’s birth; and
(5) General physical appearance of the biological parents.
In addition, the written document must also include all reasonably available nonidentifying information about the health of the minor, the biological parents, and other members of the biological parents’ families that is relevant to the adoption decision or to the minor’s health and development. This health-related information shall include each such individual’s present state of physical and mental health, health and genetic histories, and information concerning any history of emotional, physical, sexual, or substance abuse. This health-related information shall also include an account of the prenatal and postnatal care received by the minor. The information described in this subsection, if known, shall, upon written request of the minor, be made available to the minor upon the minor reaching age 18 or upon the minor’s marriage or emancipation.
(b) Information provided under this section, or any information directly or indirectly derived from such information, may not be used against the provider or against an individual described in subsection (a) of this section who is the subject of the information in any criminal action or any civil action for damages. In addition, information provided under this section may not be admitted in evidence against the provider or against an individual described in subsection (a) of this section who is the subject of the information in any other action or proceeding.
(c) The agency placing the minor shall receive and preserve any additional health-related information obtained after the preparation of the document described in subsection (a) of this section.
(d) The Division shall develop and make available forms designed to collect the information described in subsection (a) of this section. However, forms reasonably equivalent to those provided by the Division may be substituted. (1949, c. 300; 1957, c. 778, s. 7; 1961, c. 186; 1969, c. 982; 1973, c. 476, s. 138; 1979, c. 739, ss. 1, 2; 1981, c. 924, ss. 2, 3; 1983, c. 454, s. 6; 1993, c. 539, s. 411; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c); 1995, c. 457, s. 2; 2012-16, s. 4.)