March 15, 2023 Continuing to examine words and phrases often linked to ADOPTION. O — Original Birth Certificate An original birth certificate is a legal document that lists the adoptee’s birth name, birth date, and birth parents’ names. Alaska and Kansas were two states that kept original birth certificates accessible to the adopted and non-adopted; however, during the Baby Scoop Era (a painful and traumatic time in American history, particularly for young, unmarried women who became pregnant and were pressured, coerced, or even forced to give up their babies for adoption during the post-World War II era up until the early 1970) many states issued a false “amended birth certificate” with the adoptive parents’ names listed.