1. Open Adoption What Does It Mean?
Open adoptions are ones in which the biological and adoptive families have some level of contact; whether before of after the birth of the child, or both. In closed adoptions, the biological and adoptive parents frequently don't know much, if anything, about each other. The decision regarding which parents will raise a child is left to the adoption agency. Adoptive parents sometimes have fears about an open adoption, that perhaps seeing the child will make the birth parents change their minds and try to get the child back. But modern adoption laws are clear. Once an adoption is finalized, the adoptive parents are legally recognized as the child's family.
2. Gives Birth Parents More Control
With most open adoptions, the birth parents can choose who will raise their child from a list of approved adoptive parents. While it doesn't make the decision to place their child for adoption any less heart-wrenching, most biological parents feel good about choosing parents that most closely match the way they would like to see their child raised. Some important factors could be religion, area of the country, socio-economic status or the desire of the adoptive mother to stay at home with the child. The reasons biological parents choose one adoptive couple over another are widely varied.
3. Better for the Adopted Child
Adoptions of the past were frequently kept from the child until he was an adult, which often left the adopted child feeling very conflicted. Continuing contact with the birth parents in an open adoption allows the child to learn about their background, making the concept of adoption easier for them to grasp. The idea that the decision to place him for adoption, while not an easy one, was done out of love is told from both sides. This helps the child really understand the reasons he was placed for adoption.
4. Level of Contact Differs
Sometimes both the birth family and adoptive family will agree to see each other in person on a regular basis. With other adoptions you may meet them when the child is born and never see them in person again. Typically pictures are sent at predetermined intervals as well. The biological and adoptive parents, with the help of a social worker, make all of these decisions so that everyone is comfortable with the plan for future contact. Seeing the growth and development of their child over time helps to reassure birth parents that they made the best decision that they could for their child.
5. Medical History a Huge Plus
One of the biggest drawbacks to closed adoptions of the past was a lack of medical history available from the biological family. Frequently adopted individuals had no knowledge of any hereditary diseases they might be predisposed to, which led to delays in diagnosis and treatment. Open adoptions encourage disclosure of medical information going back several generations, on both sides if at all possible.
