What is Open Adoption?

There are basically three types of adoption plans: open, semi-open, and closed. In the United States today, 80% to 90% of adoptions are either open or semi-open. An open or semi-open adoption simply means that the birth family and the adoptive family have some degree of contact with each other. 

How Do I Make an Open Adoption Plan?

The expectant woman or birth mother (and father, if available) chooses the adoption plan that is best for her. She decides her plan based on how much contact she wants to have with the adoptive family. 

There is no set amount of contact. The frequency and type of communication maintained with the adoptive family varies from adoption to adoption. Some adoptive relationships can develop into close friendships, while others may remain more distant.

By selecting an open adoption plan, you also choose the best adoptive family to love and raise your child. As you view the bios of different couples, you will see that they have indicated their willingness to have an open adoption, too.

Why Would I Choose an Open Adoption?

For open adoption to work best, birthparents and adoptive parents see their involvement with each other as a commitment they make for the sake of the child. After all, taking care of the child’s needs prompted the move toward openness in the first place.

According to research, birth parents who have placed children after 2010 are much more satisfied with their choice than birth parents from earlier decades. One reason is the openness between adoptive parents and birth parents. 

Ask Yourself These Questions:

  • Do I want to select my child’s potential adoptive family?
  • Do I want to see that my child is safe, healthy, and loved?
  • Is it important to me to receive phone calls, emails, texts, etc., from the adoptive family?
  • Do I want to tell my child about their family background?
  • Does my extended family hope to meet my child?
  • Is it important to me that my child hears directly from me why I chose adoption?

If your answer is “yes” to the above questions, choose open adoption.

Who Benefits from Open Adoption?

The Child:

  • Gains a sense of identity
  • Receives a complete understanding of the choice of adoption
  • Has the knowledge their birth family loves them
  • Answers a lot of curious questions

The Birth Parents:

  • Active participation in the placement process
  • Encourages healthy grieving
  • The joy of seeing that your child is loved and cared for
  • The potential to develop a special relationship with their child

The Adoptive Parents:

  • Ability to answer their child’s questions
  • No fear of the unknown
  • Ability to see in their child what is “nature” and what is “nurture”
  • A ready source of medical information and support