Insensitivity by Registrars?

[AntonyMMM]

Suz, that registrar sounds clueless.  Certainly in dealing with legal matters like a marriage certificate, someone should have to put their legal parents.  It would never occur to me to put my birth parents on that, even though I know their names.

On a marriage register entry, you can put your natural father, adoptive father, stepfather (if married to your mother) or none at all ....entirely at the choice of the person getting married.

[groom]

I always thought that once a person was adopted that they became legally a part of the family who adopted them and that their birth parents were no longer considered. I know on programmes such as Heir Hunters it is often mentioned that adopted children don't inherit from birth parents automatically. Therefore your son was perfectly correct in stating that you were his mother. I know nowadays that a lot of adopted people do look for birth parents, but that doesn't then give those parents more rights! I hope your son stuck to his guns!

[ScouseBoy]

Many  adopted people  want to know more about their birth parents for medical  and hereditary illness  or  possibility  of being  susceptible  to  medical difficulties.

[AntonyMMM]

Identity of birth parents isn't required when an adopted person gives notice to marry - a passport and/or an adoption certificate is used as evidence of identity.

Does sound like a very odd conversation that occurred. I wonder whether there was some confusion over the requirements to allow him to marry in Greece (he would have been applying for a Certificate of No Impediment, rather than giving Notice to Marry).

[groom]

Many  adopted people  want to know more about their birth parents for medical  and hereditary illness  or  possibility  of being  susceptible  to  medical difficulties.

They may want to know, but it isn't a legal requirement and a lot of people who give their child up for adoption may not wish to be found for various reasons.

[ScouseBoy]

Many  adopted people  want to know more about their birth parents for medical  and hereditary illness  or  possibility  of being  susceptible  to  medical difficulties.

They may want to know, but it isn't a legal requirement and a lot of people who give their child up for adoption may not wish to be found for various reasons.

    However,   the law and  practice  by Health and Social Services   has changed considerably  over the past 70 years.

[shellyesq]

Suz, that registrar sounds clueless.  Certainly in dealing with legal matters like a marriage certificate, someone should have to put their legal parents.  It would never occur to me to put my birth parents on that, even though I know their names.

On a marriage register entry, you can put your natural father, adoptive father, stepfather (if married to your mother) or none at all ....entirely at the choice of the person getting married.

I live in the US, and we don't have anything called a marriage register, so things may be different here.

[suzard]

We should have taken our son's experience up with the authorities - no one is allowed to demand the birth parents names unless the adopted person gives permission and also knows the name . One of our other sons if questioned about his birth parents just says "no idea who they are" - he does and we all have a great relationship.
the registrar was completely out of order  and my son found it very upsetting.

On a marriage register entry, you can put your natural father, adoptive father, stepfather (if married to your mother) or none at all ....entirely at the choice of the person getting married.

That is not so in England - my husband gave his stepfather as his father on our marriage and had to have the name removed and just a dash put through father's name. (He didn't mind at all as his stepfather was far from his favourite person.)

Suz

[AntonyMMM]

On a marriage register entry, you can put your natural father, adoptive father, stepfather (if married to your mother) or none at all ....entirely at the choice of the person getting married.

That is not so in England - my husband gave his stepfather as his father on our marriage and had to have the name removed and just a dash put through father's name. (He didn't mind at all as his stepfather was far from his favourite person.)

Suz

Those are  the current GRO rules in England  & Wales which have been in place for a long time .