SS 10 Z - Group 2 - Open and Close Adoption

Pros and Cons of Open and Closed Adoption

For couples who would want children but unable to, and for children who are in search of a family, the adoption system exists for them. There are two types of adoption: open and closed adoption. For this blog entry, we consider children put up for adoption whose parents are still living.

Birthparents might adopt out their child because of various reasons such as being financially unable to support the child, the mother is a single mother, and the birthparents are not living together or a birthparent has a problematic issue such as drugs and alcohol and the child might be unsafe around the birthparent.

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In open adoption, the birth parents and adoptive parents meet one another and can share information and can keep in contact over the years. In open adoption, the adoptive parents hold the rights as legal parents. There can be direct contact between the families and the child can meet both sets of parents.

ADVANTAGES

1. Advantages for the birthparents

• Birthparents get to decide on the prospective adoptive parents
• Birthparents can keep in contact with the adoptive parents (by sending photos/videos/etc.) to see if the child is being treated well
• Birthparents can have reduced fear for their child’s future as the child is adopted out to a more capable family

2. Advantages for the adoptive parents

• Medical histories are easily provided for the child as the information is readily provided by the birthparents. Also, if organ transplants or blood donors are needed for the child, the birthparents can be donors.
• Roles are clearly defined as the child usually sees them as his/her parents, while the birthparents are seen as really loving people.

3. Advantages for the adopted child

• There will be no struggles for identity as the child is aware of his/her origin and heritage. All legal information is within the range of the adoptive family (family name, religious affiliation, etc.)
• The child will have the ability to ask his/her birthparents on the reasons of him/her being given up for adoption and the child won’t have to go search for his/her birthparents.
• If the child is in of medication, medical histories and genetically-passed on diseases can be tracked.

DISADVANTAGES

1. Disadvantages for the Birthparents

• The birthparents might be disappointed if the adoptive family fails to provide properly for the child
• If the adoptive parents want to change their minds and not go through with the adoption, it might leave the child in foster care

2. Disadvantages for the Adoptive parents

• Additional pressure might be put on the adoptive parents such as the demand of contact from the birthparents and high expectations to provide well for the child
• Unstable relationships might break out between the birth family and adoptive family and this will have dire consequence for the child
• The birthparents might become overbearing and demanding

3. Disadvantages for the Adopted child

• The child might have a harder time to feel accepted within the adoptive family because of his/her interaction with the birth family
• If the birth family stops contact with the child, the child might feel abandoned and rejected
• As the child grows, he/she might have problems and confusion in identifying family histories and genealogy. The child might also have a hard time explaining his/her family to his/her friends

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As for closed adoption, the information on the birthparents is kept confidential and the child is adopted in infancy. Closed adoption is not possible on older children for they would already know their birthparents by then. Closed adoption keeps the adopted child from finding out who his/her birthparents are.

Closed adoption used to be the traditional form of adoption. There are various reasons on why closed adoptions are used

• The adoptive parents can’t have any children but would want to treat the adopted child as a birth child and would want to be treated as birthparents in turn
• If the birthparents are dangerous or are psychologically disturbed and it would be dangerous for the child

ADVANTAGES

1. Advantages for the birthparents

• If, for some reason, the birthparents don’t want the child to know about them, they could keep their information secret
• The birthparents could have more privacy in a closed adoption as opposed to an open one

2. Advantages for the adoptive parents

• There is family security as the information is kept from the birthparent if he/she has a problem (drugs, alcohol, etc.) that could be detrimental to the child
• There are clearly defined roles are the birthparents are out of the picture
• There is also family freedom as their time can be focused and not divided on a birth family’s account
• There is no need to share the child with birthparents

3. Advantages for the adopted child

• There are clearly defined roles for the adopted child on who his/her parents are
• There is protection for him/her from unstable birthparents
• The child doesn’t have to split his/her attention and affections between both sets of parents

DISADVANTAGES

1. Disadvantage for the birthparents

• There is no contact between the adoptive family and birthparents
• There might be a sense of guilt for giving the child up for adoption

2. Disadvantages for the adoptive parents

• Fear and uncertainty of letting the adopted child know that he/she are not blood-related
• Lacking in medical information

3. Disadvantages for the adopted child

• Struggles with identity
• Might go in search for birthparents
• No medical history or no possible donors for surgery
• Feeling of abandonment and numerous insecurities

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The closed adoption used to be the traditional form of adoption. If the child doesn’t find out that he/she is adopted and continue to believe that he/she is blood related (unlikely), it might turn out well but the adopted child might encounter more emotional turmoil and uncertainties.

In the open adoption system, the child can contact his/her birthparents and clear up identity and emotional turmoil but can lead to confusion about parenting roles and pressures from two families. The open adoption system is the more widely practiced of the two and generally results in better welfare for the child.

If you or your family is going to adopt a child (assuming birthparents are still alive), would you make use of the open or closed adoption system?