Adoption Options - Your Adoption Choices

If after speaking with us you decide to pursue adoption, you have many oim_pregnant2-3ptions. All the choices are yours and your decisions will be honored and respected.  

 

Adoption is a choice.  You make the decision whether to place your child for adoption or to parent the child.  Sometimes birth parents are afraid to explore adoption as a choice for an unplanned pregnancy.  Many fear that somehow they will be persuaded against their will to surrender their parental rights.  Please know that NO person (family member, friend, lawyer, judge, social worker, doctor, employer, etc) can force or coerce you into placing your child for adoption.  The core belief and practice philosophy of Family Connections, Inc. is that every person has the right to self-determine – to make their own choices without influence or pressure.  Any plan for adoption is made solely by you and is a voluntary act.  

 

You have an array of choices when making an adoption plan and can design a plan that best meets your and your baby’s needs. You are in the “driver’s seat”.  You have the right to choose the type of adoption you wish for yourself and your child (e.g. confidential, semi-open, or open) and to choose the adoptive family you wish to place your child with. 

 

Open Adoption  

You may choose an open adoption.  Open adoption relationships are unique to each adoption and vary greatly.  The level of openness with the adoptive family depends upon your choices. Most open adoptions are characterized by:

  1. You meet and choose the family for your child
  2. You and the adoptive family share identifying information 
  3. You development of a relationship with adoptive parents prior to the child’s birth (if possible), and
  4. You maintain a relationship with the adoptive parents and child throughout the child’s childhood through pictures, letters and face-to-face visits.   

 

Semi-Open Adoption

You may choose a semi-open adoption.  In semi-open adoption relationships, you and the adoptive family agree on what identifying information is shared.  For example, you and the adoptive family may only exchange first names or the name of the town in which they live.  Family Connections, Inc. would know all of the identifying information for you and adoptive family, but would hold that information in confidence.  You may choose a family for your child from family profiles or meetings with prospective adoptive parents.  You and adoptive family may or may not develop a relationship with each other prior to and/or after the birth of the child (based upon your wishes).   You may or may not request post adoption contact (e.g. pictures/letters regarding the child’s growth).  Any post adoption contact requested by you would be maintained through Family Connections, Inc.  Your wishes determine the degree of openness.

 

Confidential Adoption 

You may choose a confidential adoption (aka closed adoption).  In a confidential adoption your identity and the identity of the adoptive parents is held in strict confidence. The adoptive family will not know who you are and you will not be told the adoptive family’s identifying information.  You may specify the characteristics of the adoptive family you wish for your child.  You may choose the adoptive family from family profiles and/or meet the adoptive family; it is up to you!  If you decide not to choose the adoptive family, Family Connections, Inc. will chose an adoptive family who meets the your criteria.  A confidential adoption guards the identity of the birth mother, birth father, child, and adoptive parents.

 

Choosing an Adoptive Family

You can choose the family for your child!    Family Connections has many legally qualified adoptive parents who are waiting to become parents.  Our families waiting to adopt are unable to give birth to a biological child and are looking forward to parenting a child through adoption.   

 

You can specify the family characteristics that are important to you, for example: ss_home_page_waiting_21-2

  • The religion of the adoptive parents
  • Type of family (two-parent family, traditional stay-at-home mom, two career
    couple, same sex couple, single parent, childless couple, multi-child family)
  • Racial composition of the family
  • Education level of adoptive parents
  • Age of adoptive parents
  • Financial status of family
  • Place of residence (city, suburban, rural)
  • Any other characteristic important to the birth parent

 

Once Family Connections, Inc. understands your preferences for adoptive families, the agency will present you with families who wish to be considered for the adoption of your child.  You will receive a profile of each family that contains pictures of the family and information about the family (hobbies, family traditions, professions, family make-up, other children if any, etc).  From these profiles, you may choose a family or may request to meet two or three of the families before making your decision.  After reviewing the family profiles and/or meeting with prospective adoptive families, you can make your choice.  Again, like all other aspects of adoption, your choice of a family will not be influenced by our agency, a counselor, a lawyer, a judge, a doctor, etc.  The decision belongs to you! 

 

Adoption is a choice. Family Connections, Inc., can provide you with information, guidance and support as you consider all of your options.

 

 

The possibilities are many and the decisions are yours!