An Act relative to the family medical history of adopted children
Generates a plain-language summary of the bill text and history.
| Date | Branch | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 10/29/2025 | House | Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means |
| 7/22/2025 | Joint | Hearing rescheduled to 07/22/2025 from 01:00 PM-03:15 PM in A-1 and Virtual — Hearing updated to New End Time |
| 7/11/2025 | Joint | |
| 2/27/2025 | Senate | Senate concurred |
| 2/27/2025 | House | Referred to the committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities |
| Committee | Recommendation | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| J13 | Favorable | 1 entries |
Chapter 210 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 2 the following section:-
⁄2. (a) For the purposes of this section “placement agency” shall mean a department, agency or institution of the commonwealth, or any political subdivision thereof, or any organization incorporated under chapter 180, 1 of whose principal purposes is providing custodial care and social services to children, which receives by agreement with a parent or guardian, by contract with a state agency or as a result of referral by a court of competent jurisdiction, any child under the age of 18 years of age for placement in adoption. (b) Any placement agency that receives written consent for adoption required by section 2 from a biological parent shall provide the biological parent with an anonymous family medical history form and encourage the biological parent to complete the form to the best of their knowledge. The anonymous family medical history form shall include, but not be limited to: (i) any known genetic predispositions and health conditions of the parent and (ii) any known genetic predispositions and health conditions of the parent’s relatives within 2 degrees of consanguinity. No placement agency shall require the completion of the form as a condition of acceptance of written consent for adoption required by the section 2.(c) Upon the adoption of any child whose biological parent completed an anonymous family medical history form, the placement agency shall provide the form to the child’s adoptive parent. Any information about the biological parents included in the anonymous family medical history form shall not identify or tend to lead to the identification of the biological parents or their present or former locations. No prospective adoptive parent shall have access to the anonymous medical history form completed by a child’s biological parent prior to the child’s adoption.
This act shall be known as “Patricia and Francesca's Law”.
SECTION 1. Chapter 210 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 2 the following section:- Section 21⁄2. (a) For the purposes of this section “placement agency” shall mean a department, agency or institution of the commonwealth, or any political subdivision thereof, or any organization incorporated under chapter 180, 1 of whose principal purposes is providing custodial care and social services to children, which receives by agreement with a parent or guardian, by contract with a state agency or as a result of referral by a court of competent jurisdiction, any child under the age of 18 years of age for placement in adoption. (b) Any placement agency that receives written consent for adoption required by section 2 from a biological parent shall provide the biological parent with an anonymous family medical history form and encourage the biological parent to complete the form to the best of their knowledge. The anonymous family medical history form shall include, but not be limited to: (i) any known genetic predispositions and health conditions of the parent and (ii) any known genetic predispositions and health conditions of the parent’s relatives within 2 degrees of consanguinity. No placement agency shall require the completion of the form as a condition of acceptance of written consent for adoption required by the section 2.(c) Upon the adoption of any child whose biological parent completed an anonymous family medical history form, the placement agency shall provide the form to the child’s adoptive parent. Any information about the biological parents included in the anonymous family medical history form shall not identify or tend to lead to the identification of the biological parents or their present or former locations. No prospective adoptive parent shall have access to the anonymous medical history form completed by a child’s biological parent prior to the child’s adoption. SECTION 2. This act shall be known as “Patricia and Francesca's Law”.