Your Family

By DANIEL S. LEVY

WHAT'S IN A NAME Two states are making it easier for adults to learn the identity of their biological parents. An Oregon judge just upheld a law that gives adoptees age 21 and older the right to obtain birth certificates listing their birth parents. In Illinois, the Governor is expected to sign a bill stipulating that when a surrogate mother carries another couple's embryo, the birth certificate will not list the surrogate but only the biological parents whose sperm and egg formed the embryo.

A SECOND CHANCE Forty-six states and the District of Columbia offer programs in which nonviolent youthful offenders avoid criminal trials and often permanent records by attending teen court. In many instances, the judge and jurors are peers of the accused kid and have the authority to mete out punishment for misbehavior like petty theft. Sentences can mean community service, such as collecting trash.

GOOD FOR MORE THAN THE SOUL Last week Duke University researchers reported that those 64 and older who attended weekly religious services were 46% less likely to die over a six-year period than those who went less often. Doctors think that those who attend benefit in several ways from having a larger social network. They are less likely to suffer from depression. And any new ailments they develop will probably be noticed earlier by family and friends and thus be treated more quickly.

--By Daniel S. Levy