State Representative Sara Feigenholtz is proposing legislation to undo that law and allow adoptees over 21 years old to request non-certified copies of their birth certificates at their discretion.
She said people have the right to their own identities.
"We have been deprived of our history and our identity. We have been deprived of the chapter that everyone else in this state simply gets," said Feigenholtz, also adopted.
Feigenholtz says 200,000 adopted men and woman were born in Illinois.
The legislation will be sent to the House Adoption Reform Committee for consideration.