In general, adoptions can be either closed — no information about the birth parents is shared with the adoptive parents or the child — or open. An open adoption provides information about the birth mom and possibly also the birth dad. It also includes an agreed-upon degree of continuing contact between the birth mom and the child. This can range from annual updates about the child to the birth mom spending holidays with the adoptive family. But you may also see or hear about semi-open adoption. So what’s a semi-open adoption?
A semi-open adoption
It may seem odd that, since an open adoption can include many different arrangements, there should even be something called a semi-open adoption. The biggest difference between an open and a semi-open adoption is the amount of information shared between birth parents and adoptive parents.
An expectant mom or the adoptive parents can remain anonymous, not sharing any information with the other side of the adoption. This is true in a closed adoption but never in an open adoption. It is typical in a semi-open adoption. The expectant mom and the would-be adoptive parents can meet if they choose to, or they can choose not to. The birth mom may get information about prospective adoptive parents but withheld information from the family she chooses.
At the same time, the parents can negotiate some form of continued contact. The adoptive parents can send letters and photos to the birth mom’s adoption professional, for example. Anonymity naturally limits contact, but there are options.
Why choose semi-open options?
The expectant mom may want to move on with her life, closing the chapter of her pregnancy and having no future contact with the child. Modern society doesn’t place the same kind of stigma on unmarried pregnancies as in the past, but there can still be negative consequences for women in this position.
Adoptive parents may worry about continued contact with the biological parents of their new child. It’s not unusual for would-be adoptive parents to worry that the birth mother may come back years later and try to regain her parental rights. This is not legally possible, and it is extremely rare for people to try it outside of movies. But that doesn’t keep people from worrying.
On either side, there may just be a desire for privacy. In a semi-open situation, both biological and adoptive parents can maintain their privacy while leaving the door open for the child someday to meet the birth mom.
If you’re uncertain about whether to choose an open or a closed adoption, talk with Heimer Law about the semi-open possibility. We specialize in adoption, and have supported hundreds of people in their adoption journeys.
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