by Melisha Mitchell with Jane Nast, Barbara Busharis, and Pam Hasegawa

About the authors: Melisha Mitchell is the founder and executive director of the White Oak Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides search assistance and other services for people affected by adoption. Jane Nast is past president of the American Adoption Congress (AAC). Barbara Busharis teaches law at Florida State University. Pam Hasegawa is a member of the AAC’s board of directors and former public education director of the Adoptees’ Liberty Movement Association registry (ALMA).

Three years ago [1996], when I began searching for my then 28-year-old birthdaughter, a friend told me she’d heard there was some sort of adoption registry in Illinois. Maybe they could help me locate my birthdaughter? I called over...