Hi Listers, I just rec'd the following from another list I'm on and think you might find it interesting. Marilyn From: "Henderson, James" <James.Henderson@STATE.ME.US> Subject:Federal Government Wants to Restrict Research in Birth Records To: MCULTR-L@LISTS.MAINE.EDU Just got a copy of a letter from the U.S. State Department asking states to restrict access to all birth records. "In order to protect the integrity of those vital records and the issuance process, we believe it is important that states restrict the inspection of a birth record only to the individual named on the record, immediate family, legar guardians or their authorized representatives." Well, that should slow down the genealogy research folks! Let alone other research efforts. No cut-off date is mentioned, so Thomas Jefferson's birth record would be off limits, let alone those of his children. O.K. This was just a "request" to help prevent passport fraud. However, the Archives is not in the business of restricting access to public records. The current administration may be setting the stage to close these records by law. As more records are closed in the name of "privacy," citizens loose a bit more control over their public records, and their government. The "cause of death" is currently restricted on modern death certificates in Maine. While that protects people's current privacy, it masks trouble in medical facilities that routinely list the cause of death as "cardiac arrest" or whatever, when the real cause was a procedural failure. If these were public, patterns of alleged causes could be identified and reviews undertaken. While regulators might do that now, often it is public scrutiny, such as in environmental cases, that leads regulators to do what they should. Ah, that felt good! -------------------------------------------------------- Jim Henderson, Maine State Archivist 84 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0084 Voice: 207-287-5793; FAX 207-287-5739 http://www.state.me.us/sos/arc/