Have You Thought About Placing Your Child for Adoption?
You aren’t alone if you don’t know much about the adoption process. Adoption is very different today than it was a couple of decades ago. Today, an expectant woman or birth mother chooses the adoptive parents and the future she wants for her child.
You are entirely in charge of the adoption process. You select the adoption plan that best meets your needs.
What Are the Adoption Plans?
There are three adoption plans to choose from. You decide based on how much contact you want to have with your child and their adoptive family.
Open Adoption
When you choose an open adoption, you exchange identifying information with the adoptive couple. You will know each other’s full names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.
Semi-Open Adoption
With this plan, you have contact with the adoptive family and your child, but all correspondence goes through a third party, such as your adoption agency or lawyer.
Closed Adoption
There is no contact between the adoptive family, your child, and yourself. The courts seal the original birth certificate, and you remain completely anonymous.
Do I Have Any Rights as a Birth Mother?
You have the right to understand the adoption process completely per your state’s laws. You should never feel coerced into making this decision.
Adoption services should cost you nothing, and the adoption agency or coordinator you choose should provide thorough adoption counseling to ensure that adoption is the right choice for you.
Isn’t Adoption Harder Than Abortion?
Some women believe it is easier to abort than to place their child for adoption. The truth is adoption allows you to be a part of your child’s life. You are in charge of their future. Do you want them to be raised on a farm or in the city? Should they be the oldest or have immediate siblings? What about pets, hobbies, and religion?
Making an adoption plan isn’t easy. There is sorrow and grief, but with proper counseling and adoption support groups, you will have the resources you need to make a confident decision.
Before deciding about your pregnancy, please talk with us about your situation. Fill out our confidential online form or call (417) 336-5483.