How to Choose Between a Semi-Open Adoption and a Closed Adoption
According to a 2011 report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Child Information Gateway, only about half of all states permit enforceable post-adoption contact agreements. While their own comfort levels certainly play a part, birth parents and adoptive families should ultimately enter into such arrangements based on their sincere mutual desires for the best interests of the children involved. Learning the benefits and potential difficulties related to adoption types can help you determine which is right for your family.
Instructions
Consider your family's safety first. If you have legitimate concerns about the birth mother's mental health, or if you are adopting from foster care and your child was removed from the parents due to abuse or neglect, a closed adoption may be the best decision. Discuss your fears or apprehensions with your adoption caseworker. In a closed adoption, there is no contact between the adoptive parents and the birth parents prior to or following placement. In a semi-open adoption, contact is made through a third-party, such as the adoption agency. Open adoptions have varying levels of openness, but families typically have some form of direct contact. Decide whether you are comfortable knowing limited information about the birth parents of the child you are adopting. In a closed adoption, the agency will provide you with as much non-identifying information as the birth mother is willing to offer. Birth parents who do not wish for their families to learn of the adoption typically choose closed adoptions. In addition, most cases in which birth parents abandon or surrender their children anonymously are closed adoptions. In a semi-open adoption, you may ask for more information by way of the third-party mediator. However, the biological parents may still refuse to provide the information that you want to know. Take into account information or help your child may need in the future. For instance, if your child should become ill or suffer an injury later in life, having some form of access to genetic information or potential blood, bone marrow or organ donor matches may prove to be lifesaving. In a closed adoption, you are likely to receive only basic, non-identifying information with no ability to contact the birth family in the future. In a semi-open adoption, you can approach the agency or third-party mediator to request further information. In an open adoption, the adoptive family can usually contact the birth parents directly. Contemplate questions that your child may have as she grows. A child in a closed-adoption placement must perform a search if she wishes to find and contact her birth family; but in a semi-open adoption, the third-party mediator can initiate contact. This enables the child to request information from the birth family throughout her life, from medical history to personality traits. Consider leaving your options open. Whether you lean toward a closed or semi-open adoption, you may change your mind when presented with an adoptive placement that seems ideal for your family.
