Domestic Adoption - Infant and Open Adoption Agency Program

Open Adoption Myths/Facts

Myth: Birth parents can show up at any time to reclaim their child
Fact: Once an adoption is finalized, the adoptive family is recognized as the child's family by law. Despite the publicity surrounding a few high-profile cases, post-adoption revocations are extremely rare.

Myth: Open adoption is co-parenting. It reduces adoptive parents to the role of babysitters.
Fact: Like any form of adoption, open adoption in the final analysis is a complete and irrevocable legal transfer of parental rights and responsibilities from one set of parents to another. The parental role is filled by the adoptive parents.

Myth: There are no boundaries in open adoption. The birth parents visit whenever they want.
Fact: Adoptive parents and birth parents create an open adoption cooperative agreement, which is a mutually agreed upon, individualized plan that outlines in advance the number of on-going visits, and the exchange of letters and photos. Changes to this agreement are made cooperatively between the participants.

Myth: Birth parents will be intrusive and a pain in the neck.
Fact: Birth parents have gone to great lengths to provide their children with a stable environment. They are invested in supporting the adoptive family and will not jeopardize that hard-earned stability. In open adoption, the birth parent's role is to support the adoptive parents as the child's parents.

Myth: Open adoption will be confusing to my child.
Fact: Adopted persons are not confused by contact with their birth parents. Children who know their birth parents appear to have a better understanding of themselves and don't have the abandonment issues as some adopted persons do in closed adoptions. Children benefit from open and honest information. Openness helps to clearly define and separate the roles of adoptive parents and birth parents.

 

Information provided by Adoptive Families Magazine