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Made by Serif

When facing an unplanned pregnancy, you are faced with 3 major choices - abortion, adoption, or parenting.  When adoption is chosen, there is still a lot of flexibility that exists.  Adoption allows you to tailor the kind of experience you would like to have with your child.  This page will explore the different options that are available to you.

Open Adoption  An open adoption is a type of adoption where information is shared between the adoptive parents and the birth parents.  The adopted child has the opportunity to develop a relationship with the birth parents.  This can include last names, addresses, and telephone numbers, medical history, etc.   In an open adoption, the birth parents have the ability to choose the level of contact they wish to have with the child.  Every adoption of this type will be different, based on the type of relationship that the birth parents and the adoptive parents have agreed to.  In some open adoptions, the birth parent and the adoptive family know each other and have ongoing communication about the child.  Pictures and letters can be exchanged.  Visits between the adoptive parents and the birth parents can occur. The adoptive parents may be allowed to be present for the delivery of the child.  See Advantages, Disadvantages, and Making a Plan.

Semi-Open Adoption  A semi-open adoption is a type of adoption that is designed to be a combination of both a closed and open adoption.  Direct communication after the adoption is limited in whatever way is agreed upon by the birth parents and adoptive parents.  Identifying information is not exchanged, while the sharing of photographs or other information for an agreed period of time is common.  The birth parents are able to select the adoptive parents that they feel are best.  All communication takes place through a third party, which is usually an adoption agency or attorney. Visits between the birth parents and the adopted child are less common in a semi-open adoption.  See Advantages, Disadvantages, and Making a Plan.

Closed Adoption   In a closed adoption, the adoptive family is chosen by the adoption agency or attorney.  The birth family and the adoptive family do not share any identifying information about themselves and do not communicate with each other before or after the placement of the child. The adoption files will be sealed after the adoption and are not typically made available to the adopted child.  See Advantages, Disadvantages, and Making a Plan.

Types of Adoption