This was wrong, in principle. People without principles cannot understand this.
Adoption records are sealed specifically to prevent scumbags like the NYTimes from destroying the children to get at the parents.
My own parent would have difficulty accessing her adoption records if so desirous. As the child, it would be near impossible. Yet the NYT's scum seeks to violate the parents, the young children and the birth parents in this manner?
There is a reason they slipped from Number one to Number six in papers sought to refer to first, and they'll continue that slide with mud like this.