Should an adopted adult have the same rights to identifying information about his or her origins as all non-adopted adults?
As a physician, I frequently mention to people, adopted or not, how difficult it is/must be for adopted people to make health decisions without good family history. For instance, you get an automatic colonoscopy if there is a family history of colon cancer; without a family history of the disease, you do not. Same thing for initiating mammography screening. Same thing for initiating cholesterol treatment. Same thing for glaucoma, etc.,etc. In a perfect world, we would all know our pedigree, so that we can set realistic expectations for our capabilities, longevity and potential hazards. Rights is a difficult concept though in this age of confidentiality...I really don't have the right to know my parent's health status, except with their permission. So I guess you're right in that we should all have the same rights which is to say, the parent has the right to confidentiality about their own personal health information, and, adopted or not, children hope that their biologic parents will do them a favour and pass it along to them. Thanks for the question...they always help me clarify my thinking
