Adoption Types – Open, Closed and In-Between

When it comes to making an adoption plan, no two plans will be the same. Your plan will take into account your situation, your desires, and your ideals as well as the adoptive family’s situation, their desires, and their ideals. In the past, it was standard practice to have completely closed adoptions. It was thought to be better for the birth mother so that she could forget and move on. Today, we know that no birth mother could ever forget her child. Therefore, most all adoption plans have some degree of openness to them.

Adoption plans fall somewhere along the continuum from fully closed to fully open. Below are various options to consider.

Option #1 – SAFE HAVEN – Fully Closed (if desired) – VERY RARE

• Leave your newborn baby (under age 14 days) in a designated “safe haven” location like a police station, fire station, or hospital.
• You may choose not to identify yourself or the other parent.
• Your baby will receive medical attention if needed.
• Your baby will be in the care and custody of Iowa Department of Human Services and will be placed in foster care.
• You do not have to go to court.
• You will not face any criminal charges of abandonment.
• Your baby will be safe.
• Future contact with your child would be uncertain.

Option #2 – AGENCY INVOLVED – Fully Closed (if desired) – RARE

• An agency will assist you with an adoption placement.
• An agency will choose for you who the adoptive parents will be.
• You will not meet the adoptive parents.
• You will not have future contact with the adoptive family or your child while he/she is under age 18.
• You may sign a “reveal” or “not reveal” affidavit stating to the court you want your identity revealed or not revealed to your child if he/she requests from the court after they are age 18 or older.
• Social and medical information about you will be given to the adoptive family either identifying or non-identifying; depending on your wishes.

Option #3A – AGENCY INVOLVED – LESS RARE

• An agency will assist you with an adoption placement.
• You will be presented profile book options for you to select the adoptive parents for your child.
• You may keep the profile book for of the parents you select.
• You will not meet the adoptive parents.
• You will not have future contact with the adoptive parents or the child while he/she is under age 18.
• You may sign a “reveal” or “not reveal” affidavit stating to the court you want your identity revealed or not revealed to your child if he/she requests from the court after they are age 18 or older.
• Social and medical information about you will be given to the adoptive family either identifying or non-identifying, depending on your wishes.

Option #3B – AGENCY INVOLVED – COMMON

• An agency will assist you with an adoption placement.
• You will be presented profile book options for you to select the adoptive parents for your child.
• You may keep the profile book for of the parents you select.
• You will meet the adoptive parents either prior to the birth or at the hospital.
• You will not have future contact with the adoptive parents or the child while he/she is under age 18.
• You may sign a “reveal” or “not reveal” affidavit stating to the court you want your identity revealed or not revealed to your child if he/she requests from the court after they are 18 or older.
• Social and medical information about you will be given to the adoptive family either identifying or non-identifying, depending on your wishes.

Option #4 – AGENCY INVOLVED – COMMON

• An agency will assist you with an adoption placement.
• You will be presented profile book options for you to select the adoptive parents for your child.
• You may keep the profile book for of the parents you select.
• You will meet the adoptive parents either prior to the birth or at the hospital.
• You will receive pictures and updates periodically (as designed by you and agreed upon by the adoptive parents)
• Updates are sent from adoptive parents to the agency and then the agency sends them to you.
• A future visit is a possibility if agreed upon, but will occur at the agency with the agency coordinating dates and times.
• You may sign a “reveal” or “not reveal” affidavit stating to the court you want your identity revealed or not revealed to your child if he/she requests from the court after they are age 18 or older.
• Social and medical information about you will be given to the adoptive family either identifying or non-identifying, depending on your wishes.

Option #5 – AGENCY INVOLVED – COMMON

• An agency will assist you with an adoption placement.
• You will be presented profile book options for you to select the adoptive parents for your child
• You may keep the profile book for of the parents you select
• You will meet the adoptive parents either prior to the birth or at the hospital
• You will receive pictures and updates periodically (as designed by you and agreed upon by the adoptive parents) through a non-identifying email set up by the adoptive family and sent to your email. (So, you can communicate directly, but you don’t have their phone number or address).
• A future visit or visits is a possibility if agreed upon, but will occur at the agency with the agency coordinating dates and times
• You may sign a “reveal” or “not reveal” affidavit stating to the court you want your identity revealed or not revealed to your child if he/she requests from the court after they are age 18 or older.
• Social and medical information about you will be given to the adoptive family either identifying or non-identifying, depending on your wishes.

Option #6 – AGENCY INVOLVED – Fully Open if Desired – COMMON

• An agency will assist you with an adoption placement.
• You will be presented profile book options for you to select the adoptive parents for your child.
• You may keep the profile book for of the parents you select.
• You will meet the adoptive parents either prior to the birth or at the hospital.
• Adoptive parents will exchange full identifying information with you including their names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers.
• You will receive pictures and updates periodically (as designed by you and agreed upon by the adoptive parents) directly from the adoptive parents.
• Future visits are a possibility if agreed upon and will be coordinated directly with adoptive parents with no agency involvement.
• You may sign a “reveal” or “not reveal” affidavit stating to the court you want your identity revealed or not revealed to your child if he/she requests from the court after they are 18 or older.
• Social and medical (identifying) information about you will be given to the adoptive family.

It is important to note that all adoption court records in Iowa are sealed. Adoptions are considered “closed” for the court’s purposes, but it does not impact your ability to have an open relationship if you choose. It simply means that the court is not going to reveal the information in those adoption records.

Another important thing to note is that an agreement to have openness in an adoption is a “gentleman’s agreement” or arrangement or understanding which is based upon the trust of all parties, rather than being legally binding. If the terms of openness are not met, the adoption still stands and is not reversible. For example, if you initially planned to see the child once a year, but the adoptive family moves to Alaska and you are not seeing the child as you thought, the court will not allow you to overturn the adoption. It is a situation where we must trust, but also understand that we cannot predict the future.

Here at Many Hearts unplanned pregnancy support, we partner with the Lutheran Family Service adoption agency. They have been a child-placing agency since 1901 and have over 125 years of expertise. Should you choose to place your baby for adoption, it will fall under the category of “domestic infant adoption.” Domestic simply means that the adoption will take place within the boarders of the United States. While there are other types of adoption such as international adoption, embryo adoption, and foster care, those do not apply in this situation. If your baby has a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome, Lutheran Family Service has a special, Down Syndrome adoption program with families equipped and wanting to care for and love a baby with Down Syndrome.

As you can see, there are a lot of different options to consider when making a loving adoption plan. It is important to work closely with an adoption agency to help walk you through all the options and to create a loving adoption plan that is right for you and your child. And, remember that no matter what adoption plan you make, your child will be grateful to you for choosing life for them.