Adoption
Are You Pregnant and Thinking About Adoption?
Pregnancy causes many changes, both physical and emotional. It can be a very confusing time for a woman, even in the best of circumstances. Talking to someone about your options may help relieve anxiety. But how do you start?
Who Can I Talk to About My Options?
If considering adoption for one's baby, it would be wise to consult a counselor and various social service agencies. Counseling is often free and there are a variety of different services to meet all of your needs. These places include family planning clinics, adoption agencies, the health department, and/or family service agencies. A crisis pregnancy center is also an option because they are many times able to offer pregnant women a home until baby is delivered. 1
Should I Place My Child for Adoption?
The decision to place a child for adoption is a difficult one. It is an act of great courage and much love. Pregnancy can affect your feelings and emotions. Remember, adoption is permanent; the adoptive parents will raise the child and have legal authority over his or her welfare. It is important to consider the different issues associated with adoption when determining if it is the right decision for you. Prospective adoptive parents are carefully screened and give a great deal of information about themselves. They are visited in their home several times by a social worker and must provide personal references. They are also taught about the special nature of adoptive parenting before an adoption takes place. 1,2
What Are the Different Types of Adoption?
Confidential
The birth parents and the adoptive parents never know each other. Adoptive parents are given background information about the birth mother and father that they would need to help them take care of the child, such as medical information.
Open
The birth parents and the adoptive parents know something about each other. There are different levels of openness:
Least Open
The birth mother will read about different families who want to adopt and pick the one that they like the most. It is completely confidential and the names of the families are never revealed
More Open
The birth parents and the adoptive families will speak on the telephone and exchange first names.
Even More Open
The birth parents can meet the adoptive family if they choose to.
Most Open
The birth parents and adoptive family exchange full names and contact information. They often stay in contact with each other throughout the years and voluntarily agree to this situation. Fifteen states have enacted laws that recognize this post-adoption contact as long as all parties involved agrees to it. 3
How Do I Arrange an Adoption Through an Agency?
It is possible to arrange an adoption through a variety of sources but the safest and often the most used way is through an adoption agency. Private adoption agencies arrange most infant adoptions but it is possible to work directly with an adopting family through an attorney. Adoption agencies range from not-for-profit to for-profit and some address certain religions. 4
How Do I Arrange for Future Contact With My Child If I Want It?
If one decides on a confidential adoption, it is still possible to contact the child in the future. Certain states (with the exception of Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Kansas, Oregon, and Tennessee) do not allow children to see their original birth certificate, but it is possible to make contact through private agencies and organizations. Another method of getting in contact with the children is through an attorney. If an attorney arranged the private adoption and they hold a letter in their files about the adoption it is possible for the child to contact their birth parents through that method. 5
REFERENCES:
- Adoption Network: Law Center (2003). http://adoptionnetwork.com/adoptiveparents/index.shtml
- American Association for Open Adoption Agencies http://www.openadoption.org/
- Adoption (2005). www.adoption.com
- National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (2005). http://naic.acf.hhs.gov
- International Soundex Reunion Registry (2004). www.plumsite.com/isrr/
