Confidential birth

In a confidential birth, the mother provides her identity to authorities, but requires that her identity not be disclosed by the authorities. In many countries, confidential births have been legalized for centuries in order to prevent formerly frequent killings of newborn children, particularly outside of marriage.

The mother's right of informational self-determination suspends the child's right to know about their biological ancestry until she changes her mind or until the adult child requests disclosure at a later point. The alternative concept of an anonymous birth, where the mother does not disclose her identity to the authorities at all, or where her identity remains infinitely undisclosed, goes beyond this.