What are the Different Types of Adoption?
Would adoption mean I'm abandoning my baby?
What are the different types of adoption?
What is an adoption plan and how do I make one?
These days, the adoption process is almost entirely controlled by the baby's mother. If you are the baby's mother, then what you say goes.
There are different types of openness in adoption (confidential, open and semi-open), to meet different needs and levels of comfort. There is no easy solution to an unplanned pregnancy. Each adoption choice is hard and has its own difficulties, but it can also have its rewards. You can empower yourself by getting as much information as you can about your options. Giving yourself time to consider carefully and weigh each option will help you make the right decision for you and the little life growing inside you.
Confidential adoptions occur when birthparents and adoptive parents have no contact with one another, never meeting and never gaining information about each other. The birthmother places her child in custody of an adoption agency and does not receive information about who adopts the child. All records identifying the birth parents are then sealed by the court. This information is not disclosed to the adoptive parents or to the adopted child. In most cases, only information about the birthparents’ medical history is shared with the adoptive family and child. When the adopted child reaches legal majority, some states permit them to seek contact with their birthparents through a registry. If the birthmother (or father) and child both wish to make contact, they may do so. But if either party objects, they may not. State laws differ on this matter. Up until recently, most adoptions were confidential, but the trend today is toward more openness.
Semi-open adoptions occur when birthmothers make some choices about which parents will have the opportunity to raise the child. In semi-open adoptions, birthmothers are presented with multiple profiles of potential adoptive families. They can then choose which family they believe has the most to offer the child. Though profiles contain lots of descriptive information about each potential adoptive family, identifying information (e.g., last names, addresses, etc.) is not provided. Personal contact between the birthmother and her chosen adoptive parents may or may not occur during the adoptive process, depending largely on the preferences of the various parties. Some families choose to contact each another during the period leading up to the birth of the child, and some choose to remain more anonymous. In any event, contacts between the birth and adoptive parents stop following the final placement of the child with the adoptive parents.
Open adoption occurs when the contact information of both the birthmother and potential adoptive parents is shared. No barriers are put up to prevent contact between the parties, either before the adoption is finalized, or afterwards. Open adoptions may start out as semi-open adoption where the birthparents review anonymous profiles of adoptive parents, and then meet with a selected group of potential adoptive parents. Once a final choice of adoptive parents is made, both parties also mutually decide to share contact information and to remain in contact after the adoption is finalized. In the context of an open adoption, if the birth mother has not yet given birth, the adoptive parents may be invited to participate in preparations for labor and birth. Following the adoption, some form of regular contact is then established between the birthparent and the adoptive family. The level of contact varies across families. For some, contact may occur in the form of regular e-mail or written letter updates with pictures only, with no in-person contact occurring between the child and birthmother until the child is older. For other families, the birthmother becomes almost a member of the new family and is invited to major gatherings and celebrations. There are many variations and choices (1).
1. Part of the information on types of adoption was copied from this
website.
