Pros and Cons of Open Adoption

When it comes to adoption, you have options. While in the past, closed adoptions were a popular method, today, open and semi-open adoptions are more and more common. For birthmothers or birthfathers who do not want the complete separation a closed adoption would bring, open adoption might be the best path. Open adoptions allow birthparents to maintain contact with their child’s adoptive family as well as their child. In most open adoptions:

• Birthparents have the opportunity to contribute to the selection process for their baby’s future family.
• Adopted children are aware of their adoption and have some form of contact with their birth family.
• Birthparents and adoptive parents agree on parameters of communication so that each party is most comfortable with the arrangement.

As with any decision, there are both advantages and disadvantages to choosing open adoption—for all involved.

Birthparents who choose open adoption are able to choose the adoptive family and maintain a relationship with their child. According to the American Pregnancy Association, open adoptions can provide birthparents with a greater sense of control by allowing them to choose their child’s future home. While increasing the birthparents’ control, making this decision can also lead to disappointment later if the adoptive family does not meet the expectations of the birthparents. Choosing an open adoption can also make it easier for birthparents to mourn the loss of their child and make it less likely for the birthparents to develop feelings of guilt for placing their child for adoption. Open adoption allows birthparents to maintain a relationship with their child and his or her adoptive family without having the responsibility of raising the child.

Prospective adoptive parents who choose an open adoption agree to welcome some kind of relationship between their child and his or her birth family. This decision can provide adoptive parents with comfort in knowing the wishes of the birth family and reduce the fear of the birthparents changing their minds later on. A relationship with the birth family also provides parents with access to medical information that would not be disclosed in a closed adoption. With an open adoption, there is the risk of encountering unstable members of the birth family, but there is also the opportunity to develop relationships with the birth family which may help the adoptive family learn more about their child’s family history.

Children raised in an open adoption have the opportunity to develop a direct relationship with their birth family. This can help eliminate some of the negative stigmas that sometimes accompany adoption. Developing a relationship with his or her birth family can allow the child to understand the reason for his or her adoption, which can decrease any feelings of abandonment. However, this form of adoption can also burden the child by impeding assimilation into the adoptive family or creating a need to explain the roles of various birth and adoptive family members to their peers who do not understand the situation.

Potential Advantages:

Birthparents	Adopted Children	Adoptive Parents
Opportunity to form a relationship with your child and his or her parents Satisfaction of choosing a family to place your child with	Removal of shame and secrecy that can sometimes accompany adoption Better access to family medical information Understanding of the reasoning behind their placement for adoption	Access to medical information Comfort in knowing the wishes of the birthparents Connections to multiple members of the birth family

Source: http://americanpregnancy.org/adoption/open-adoption-advantages/

Potential Disadvantages:

Birthparents	Adopted Children	Adoptive Parents
Possibility of adoptive family abusing the trust placed in them Disappointment if chosen family does not meet expectations Pressure to place child for adoption due to chosen family’s financial and emotional investment Adoptive families changing their mind about adoption could result in the child entering foster care	Difficulty assimilating into adopted family Sense of abandonment if communication stops Struggles to explain familial relations to peers Confusion about identity	Pressure to meet the expectations of the birth family out of fear of losing the child Possibility of encountering an unstable member of the birth family Unnecessary pressure to provide support to the birth family

Source: http://americanpregnancy.org/adoption/open-adoption-disadvantages/

For a list of additional adoption resources, click here.