by Georgia S. Peaches

Created on: April 20, 2009   Last Updated: April 21, 2009

Adoption can seem complicated enough, just from the emotions that are involved in the process, without adding the lingo and terms that are used as well. To make your journey that much easier, lets discuss a couple of very common adoption terms that are used.

Open Adoption:

Just as the term suggests, an Open Adoption is when the Medical records and information about the birth parents is left open and available, and when the biological parents decide they would like to have future contact with the child and their adoptive family, and it is usually the process chosen when the birth parents would like to have a say on who the child is adopted to. Open Adoption is truthfully a new era of adoption, as it was never really became a common practice until the early 90's. It was found to be easier to attain medical records and hereditary information when adoption records where 'Open', as well as being easier on the parents who were getting ready to give up the parenting rights to their child. There are many different forms of Open Adoption, and most of them are catered to what the birth parents and the adoptive parents prefer to happen. Some just allow letters and photo's to be passed between each other, while others are closer knit and the birth parents often visit and participate in the child's life.

Open adoptions are great if you would like the child to know their heritage and to be able to get a hold of any medical information that you might need as they are growing up.

Closed Adoption:

This process was thought to be easier and was a form of protecting the child from emotional turmoil, and also to protect the biological parents, should they want the adoption to be a secret to others in their lives. The term 'closed', officially refers to the sealing of the papers. Medical records of the child's birth, hereditary information about the biological family, and any and all information about the birth parents is sealed by the courts, and neither the child nor the surrogate parents are allowed to access that information until the child reaches a certain age. Most US adoptions that are closed, still allow the child to attain birth records and information about their biological parents, once they have reached the age of legal adulthood. This is usually the time that you will see people 'searching for their parents', and by the time the child has become an adult, it is usually an expensive and time consuming task to get through the paper trail of finding their birth families.

Adoptions can be confusing enough for every party involved, but sometimes sealing everything up is easy for everyone in the end. No matter what choice you choose to make, just remember that no choice is wrong, just different.

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