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Types of Adoption

An adoption begins with the decision of the birth parents to place their unborn child or baby for adoption with another family. The birth parents can play and active role in the adoption process and decide what kind of adoption plan is best for them. The birth parents can also be involved in the selection process of the adoptive parents and decide what kind of adoption they want to have.

Open Adoption

An open adoption involves an ongoing relationship between the birth parents and adoptive family. This means that both parties have exchanged identifying information and have contact with each other either through letters, pictures, phone calls, or visits. The extent of communication in an open adoption is up to the birth mother and adoptive the family. An open adoption provides answers to adoptee’s questions about his background and ethnicity, allowing him to have a better understanding about adoption and about the important contribution and love he received from his birth mother and his adoptive parents.

Semi-Open Adoption

A semi-open adoption is one step down from open adoption regarding contact; the birth parents and adoptive parents meet, however, they do not exchange identifying information. There may be ongoing contact between the two parties, but it’s typically less often, and it is facilitated through the agency.

Closed Adoption

A close adoption offers complete confidentiality. At no time is there any identifying information given to either the birth parents or the adoptive couple about each other. The birth parents allow the agency to pick adoptive parents from their approved, waiting couples, and the baby will be placed with them.

Semi-Closed Adoption

A semi-closed adoption allows the birth parents parents to look through a number of “profiles” of couples that are waiting to adopt. All couples have been studied by the agency, and are approved to legally adopt. The birth parents choose a couple to raise their child, but there is no contact, and no exchange of identifying information between the two parties.