You have choices
There are three basic adoption plans: open, semi-open, and closed. Today, open and semi-open plans are the most popular. The amount of contact you wish to have with the adoptive family determines the plan you choose.
As you progress through the adoption process, you can revisit your chosen plan and make a new one. Open and semi-open adoptions let you choose the potential adoptive couple.
You review several couples’ bios, interview them, and carefully select the parents who will raise your child.
Open Adoption
This plan lets the birth parents and the prospective adoptive family have personal interactions with each other.
You can meet before your baby is born to ensure you’ve made the right choice. You can request to receive letters and photos from them. Or, with an open plan, you can arrange other types of communication.
An open adoption is different for each birth mother. The most important thing for all parties is communication. The more communication about wishes, desires, and expectations, the more comfortable each party will be in the adoption process.
Semi-Open Adoption
This plan is also known as a mediated adoption. It allows for non-identifying interaction between the birth mother and the adoptive family, which means more anonymity.
Through a semi-open adoption, the parties might choose to exchange first names. They communicate with one another through a third party, such as a representative from our agency.
The interaction is usually letters or cards. However, there is the potential for non-identifying emails or visits hosted by the adoption professional.
Closed Adoption
Only about 5% of adoptions today are closed. With this plan, no identifying information is exchanged, so both parties remain entirely anonymous.
The courts seal the original birth certificate and all adoption information. Circumstances sometimes require a closed adoption for the safety of the birth mother or the child.
If the birth mother and child desire interaction in the future, they would need to locate one another on their own.