California Birth Index

{{Short description|List of all registered births in California between 1905 and 1995}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
The '''California Birth Index''' ('''CABI''') is a database compiled by the California Office of Health Information and Research. The index contains [[birth record]]s of all registered births in [[California]] between 1905 and 1995. Each record is an abstract of a person's birth certificate, including date of birth, full name,<ref>Full name for those born 1925–1955 and 1978–1995. Only middle initial for the rest.</ref> county of birth, gender, and mother's [[maiden name]].

The index is available online from a number of sources. [[California Birth Index#External links|See below.]]

People who have been [[Adoption|adopted]] are sometimes listed by their birth name, sometimes listed by their adopted name, sometimes by both and sometimes not listed at all.  The CABI is considered a valuable [[genealogy]] tool but is also criticized for [[privacy]] issues. California began statewide civil registration of births on July 1, 1905. Earlier birth records may exist in the county where the birth took place or at the church where a baptism took place.

==Controversy==
Critics of the index claim that the index's information aids in [[identity theft]].<ref name="cnet">{{cite web
| url=http://news.cnet.com/Identity-crisis-Birth-records-online/2100-1023_3-276533.html
| title=Identity crisis: Birth records online
| first=Stefanie
| last=Olsen
| date=December 3, 2001
| publisher=[[CNET News]]
| access-date=January 15, 2014}}</ref> Several public record websites have purchased copies of the index from the California Department of Health Services. In 2001, the ''[[San Jose Mercury News]]'' printed a story about the index, then accessible on genealogical website [[Rootsweb]], causing numerous complaints and requests for removal from the index, and ultimately leading to the index being removed from the site.<ref name="cnet" />

The California Birth Index, along with the [[California Death Index]], was at one time available free at [[Rootsweb]]. When Rootsweb was purchased by [[Ancestry.com]], the index remained available for a time, but then was removed by Ancestry because of complaints concerning [[privacy violation]]s. The index was then only available through VitalSearch and later through Family Tree Legends and [[FamilySearch]]. Ancestry has restored the index to its content, but has not restored the notes by users posted in the index when it was available on [[Rootsweb]]. Ancestry will remove individual listings upon request. California Birth Index listings on the Family Tree Legends website do not include the mother's maiden name, but listings at [[Ancestry.com]], [[FamilySearch]], and VitalSearch websites do.

Despite the controversy, birth records in California are public record. Any person can request and receive a copy of the birth certificate of any other person born in California.  To reduce the risk of identity theft, only certain persons<ref name="cdph">{{cite web
| url=http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/birthdeathmar/Pages/AthorizedCopyvsInformationalCopy.aspx
| title=Authorized Copy vs. Informational Copy
| date=August 1, 2013
| publisher=[[California Department of Public Health]]
| access-date=January 15, 2014
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091112184127/http://www.cdph.ca.gov/certlic/birthdeathmar/Pages/AthorizedCopyvsInformationalCopy.aspx
| archive-date=November 12, 2009
| url-status=dead
}}</ref> may obtain an authorized copy of a birth record. All others may obtain an informational copy.  The informational copy will have the same information on it as an authorized copy, but will be stamped "INFORMATIONAL, NOT A VALID DOCUMENT TO ESTABLISH IDENTITY."<ref name="cdph"/>

[[File:CABI California Birth Index.png|thumb|Microfiche CABI – 1950 example]]

==See also==
*[[Social Security Death Index]]
*[[WP:BLPPRIMARY]]: Why you should never use the California Birth Index as a source on [[Wikipedia]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite web
| url=http://www.californiabirthindex.org
| title=California Birth Index
| publisher=californiabirthindex.org}}

* {{cite web
| url=http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=5247
| title=California Birth Index, 1905–1995
| publisher=[[Ancestry.com]]
|url-access=subscription }}

* {{cite web
| url=https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/2001879
| title=California Birth Index, 1905–1995
| publisher=[[familysearch.org]]
|url-access=subscription }}


[[Category:Identity documents of the United States]]
[[Category:Birth registration]]
[[Category:Government databases in the United States]]