Disadvantages Of Open Adoption

Peace of mind is one major benefit of open adoption for the birth parents. This peace of mind is granted several ways. Biological parents are often able to choose the family who adopts their child, when they choose an open adoption. The ability to choose the family “provide(s) birth parents a sense of empowerment, security and control” (“Open Adoption:Advantages and Benefits” 2). After giving away a child, parents will likely worry about that child’s safety and condition. However, choosing the family allows much of that worry to be avoided, since the parents are informed of the child’s well-being and are often an active part of their environment. The sense of control that choosing the adoptive family grants to biological parents also contributes
Regardless of the reasons for choosing adoption, separation from one’s child always causes pain. However, choosing an open adoption can aid the grieving process tremendously. It was found in a study of “592 pregnant women…[that] 46% chose adoptions, and the 69% of those who picked the adoptive family reported less grief, regret and sadness than those who didn’t” (Stein 2). It is clear that choosing and knowing the people who will raise their child gives biological parents an easier period of grieving, as well as less guilt overall about not raising their own child. In a closed adoption, the birth parents of a child have no control nor information about the people raising their child. Thus, a guilt-driven fear often arises in birth parents who chose closed adoption, about the condition of their child. In open adoptions, however, an agreement is made between the biological parents and the adoptive parents over the amount and types of contact that will be made between them. Thus, the birth parents have the opportunity to form a relationship with both their child and the adoptive parents. This opportunity replaces the fear of what may happen to their child with hope for a relationship in the
One practical advantage is the access to more extensive medical information than would be granted with a closed adoption. Although some medical data is required from the birth parents during an adoption, it is not necessarily detailed. However, when an open adoption occurs, there is direct contact between the adoptive parents and the biological parents. Through this contact, the adoptive parents could efficiently find honest and detailed medical history of their child’s birth family. This would aid greatly in the child’s safety, and in peace of mind for the adoptive parents. In addition to medical information, the adoptive family would have the opportunity to learn about their child’s personal history. Details regarding their child’s racial and ethnic background would be acquired much more easily and extensively with an open adoption, since direct contact could be made with the birth parents. Erin Stewart comments in an article that she is glad that her adopted son “will be able to find out about his Mexican ancestry, [and] about where his dimples came from” (2). Information such as this would not be accessible to Stewart had she chosen a closed adoption, because that paperwork does not include information about details such as