§338-20  Adoption.  (a)  In case of the
adoption of any person born in the State, the department of health, upon
receipt of a properly certified copy of the adoption decree, or certified
abstract thereof on a form approved by the department, shall prepare a
supplementary certificate in the name of the adopted person, as fixed or
changed by the decree, and seal and file the original certificate of birth with
the certified copy attached thereto.



(b)  The registrar of births shall show on the
supplemental birth certificate the names of parents as stated in the adoption
decree pursuant to section 578-14.



(c)  Any certified copy of final decree of
adoption, or abstract thereof, of persons born in the State, rendered by courts
of other states and territories subject to the jurisdiction of the United
States, or courts of a foreign country, shall be considered properly certified
when attested by the clerk of the court in which it was rendered with the seal
of the court annexed, if there be a seal, together with a certificate of the
presiding judge, chancellor, or magistrate that the attestation is in due form.



(d)  If no original certificate of birth shall
be on file with the department, the department may require such evidence as it
deems necessary to establish the facts of birth before preparing a
supplementary certificate in the new name of the adopted person; provided that
no such certificate shall be filed unless it shall be satisfactorily
established that the adopted person was born in the State.



(e)  The sealed documents may be opened by the
department only by an order of a court of record or when requested in
accordance with section 578-14.5 or 578-15.  Upon receipt of a certified copy
of a court order setting aside a decree of adoption, the department shall
restore the original certificate to its original place in the files. [L 1949, c
327, §24; RL 1955, §57-23; am L Sp 1959 2d, c 1, §19; HRS §338-20; am L 1978, c
50, §1; am L 1979, c 203, §2; am L 1980, c 153, §6 and c 232, §18; am L 1988, c
274, §2; am L 1990, c 338, §2]