Adoption: Open or Closed Arrangements

There are a variety of reasons that men and women look into adoption. This is a legal process that can be customized to fit the child, the adoptive parent, and the parent looking to give up his or her parental rights. At each step, important decisions are made that will affect everyone involved well into the future. While the basic transition is the same, different states have different laws. Today, most arrangements are either open or closed.

Open

An open adoption means that information is relayed between the adoptive parents and the birth parents. Sometimes, a birth parent will receive regular updates on the status of the child. This could include pictures, letters or even phone calls. The amount of information relayed varies from situation to situation. This is something that is worked during the legal proceedings.

An open arrangement can also leave room for visits between the child and his or her birth parents or even another relative. These meetings can be handled and arranged between the adoptive and birth parents or a court appointed official can be present at the time of the meeting. Just like communication through letters, emails, or phone calls, the amount of contact can be decided on through the legal system.

Closed

A closed adoption is more common than an open arrangement. Here, everything surrounding the situation is sealed. Everyone's information including the child, the adoptive parents, the birth parents, and any other family members is not made public. Birth parents do not know or meet the adoptive parents and vice versa. There are some exceptions to this rule. The birth parent's family medical history, religious background and race can be given to the adoptive parents.

Safe haven laws make it possible for parents who cannot care for a child to drop him or her off at certain locations, without providing any information. These laws were designed to avoid child abandonment in non-safe situations. Because there is no pressure or consequence to dropping a child off, a birth parent may feel more comfortable leaving the child in one of these locations. The locations include hospitals, police stations, and fire departments.

Family Adoptions

Today, adoptions can take place within a family. One of the most common forms includes a stepparent adopting his or her stepchild. Another example within a family would be the death of a birth parent. In this case, a family member would go through the process to care for the child that was left behind. In these cases, there is no concern about whether the arrangement is open or closed.