| In the 1950's single mothers had few options if they | | | | legal requirements. |
| became pregnant. Often, they were whisked away | | | | 6. The birth mother can receive assistance from the |
| to homes where they were forced to sign their | | | | adoptive parents before and after the baby is born. |
| babies away never knowing who the parents were | | | | 7. The birth mother can request information or |
| or given time to see their babies. This causes a surge | | | | on-going contact in the form of letters, pictures of |
| of adopted children to come back years later looking | | | | her child, and/or phone calls. |
| for their birth mothers or insisting on their rights to | | | | 8. The child can meet birth relatives too and thus |
| their medical and genetic history. There are still many | | | | establish a larger support system wider than their |
| out there searching, trying to find their roots and | | | | adoptive family. |
| have some sense of identity of where they came | | | | 9. The child knows where they came from and can |
| from and who they are. | | | | even be exposed to their heritage and culture |
| Open adoption seeks to limit those issues that closed | | | | through the birth parents. |
| adoption caused by allowing the birth mother to | | | | 10. It allows the child to be able to process losses |
| meet and interact with the prospective adoptive | | | | associated with adoption without making it a lifelong |
| parents before and after the birth. Some families are | | | | quest for truth. |
| committed to keeping the birth mother involved, in | | | | A History Of Open Adoption |
| which case, the open adoption becomes a new | | | | Open adoption was prevalent in the 1920's with social |
| family arrangement that seeks to put the needs of | | | | agencies not being involved too much. This led to |
| the child first. | | | | fears that birth parents were advertising their children |
| Open Adoption Families Although open adoption only | | | | and placing them in unsuitable homes or selling them |
| means that the birth mother and the adoptive | | | | outright. The laws for closed adoptions and agency |
| parents exchange information on themselves, it can | | | | interventions didn't come around until the 1940's and |
| lead to other arrangements where the birth mother | | | | 1950's. Many years later, the fallout from closed |
| is more involved. It is understood, however, that the | | | | adoptions became apparent with many adopted |
| birth mother has relinquished all parental and legal | | | | children seeking their birth parents or their genetic |
| rights to the adoptive family. Thus, the fear that a | | | | and medical history. |
| birth mother will try to reclaim a child is minimal. Some | | | | Lawyers actually started the movement back to |
| families like to invite the birth mother to special | | | | open adoptions by providing an independent agency |
| occasions like Christenings. Others even have the | | | | that would make sure the laws were followed in |
| relatives of the child visit with the birth mother. It all | | | | adoption proceedings and speeding up the adoption |
| is a personal choice and is not required in open | | | | process. In many of these cases because it was |
| adoptions. | | | | done in a lawyer's office the parents and birth |
| Open adoption can provide the following advantages | | | | mother did get to know each other. But, they had |
| to closed adoptions, although each situation is | | | | high failure rates because of the emotional and social |
| different: | | | | issues of adoption. |
| | | | By then, the social standards had softened and single |
| 1. Children can ask a birth mother directly why they | | | | mothers no longer were thought of as a shameful |
| were put up for adoption. | | | | secret. Many began keeping their children and fewer |
| 2. The adoptive parents and children can have access | | | | children actually were released for adoption. This |
| to medical records and genetic information that | | | | caused agencies to change so as to meet the |
| allows them to keep good health records. | | | | concern by mothers that their children were being |
| 3. Birth mothers have the option to participate in the | | | | placed in good homes and would be treated well. If |
| adoption planning, even getting to choose who the | | | | they did not change, fewer adoptions were |
| adoptive parents will be. | | | | processed. So, open adoption is becoming more and |
| 4. The birth mother can be assured she has made a | | | | more the norm. It is a good way to ease the losses |
| good decision placing her child up for adoption. | | | | of the child, the birth parent, and the infertile |
| 5. The adoptive parents can be screened to meet | | | | adoptive parents and can provide benefits for all. |