Arkansas law requires birth parents to share their child’s medical history with adoptive parents. This is not an easy law to enforce, though. After all, the people helping with the adoption won’t usually know your family medical history anyway. There are real reasons that you might hesitate to share your child’s medical history. But there are very good reasons to share that information.
Why you might not want to share
You might not know what in formation should be included in a family medical history, and you may not have that information. During visits to the doctor for your pregnancy, you will be asked the cause of death for any close family members who are decease. You will also be asked whether any family members have had diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. Your child will also be asked this information — at first, the adoptive parents will get those questions, and then the child will be asked the same questions at every doctors’ appointment for the rest of his or her life. Any of this information that you know, you should disclose during the adoption process.
Now that you know what information is important, you may still not know the details for your family. If you are estranged from your parents, you may not want to ask. If you were adopted yourself, you may not have any information beyond your own. Your family may not have had access to regular health care and therefore may not have the information you want. If this is the case, explain the situation to your adoption professional.
There are also some medical conditions that are still stigmatized. If you reveal that your mother has schizophrenia, will the adoptive parents change their minds? Would it be embarrassing to admit that you have had an STD during your pregnancy? Actually, your adoption professionals and medical caregivers will not be shocked by this information — or anything else you need to tell them about your family medical history. The information can make big difference in the health and wellbeing of your child, so it’s worth a few minutes of feeling vulnerable.
If you are planning a closed adoption, you might worry that sharing family health information could threaten your anonymity. In fact, all identifying information is removed from the health records given to the adoptive parents.
Why does anyone need to know?
The doctor wants to know if the patient has a genetic risk of having certain diseases. Testing and treatment of someone with close relatives who have had breast cancer looks different from testing and treatment of someone who has no family history of this condition. A good family medical history increases your child’s chances of early identification of any health issues — and early diagnosis almost always means better chance of a cure.
What’s the best thing to do?
Share the inform action you have. Your decision to give your child a loving and stable home with an adoptive family comes out of love for your child. Give your child the best possible start in life by sharing this important information. It may seem like a lot of trouble or it may feel uncomfortable, but the benefits can be enormous.
Questions about adoption?
Heimer Law specializes in adoption. We can answer your questions about adoption. If you are considering adoption, call us at (479) 225.9725 or fill out our simple contact form.
Inquiry Form