Legal Differences - Open vs. Closed Adoptions

Before considering adoption, it is important to understand the differences between an open and closed adoption and decide which will work best for you and your family. The decision will affect the lives of everyone involved in the adoption process.
Open Adoption Agreements - Are They Legally Enforceable?
Often, the birth parents have an agreement to have some type of contact with the child after the adoption process completes, but other times there is the need to have a formal contract between the parties to ensure it is enforceable in a court of law. The birth parents may want more contact with the youth in the future, and sometimes this is only possible with a court order.
Read moreOpen Adoption vs. Closed Adoption
There are specific and significant differences between an open adoption and one that remains closed, and this could affect the relationship that the biological parent has with both the adoptive parents and the child given away. It is important to know how these differences can affect the lives of everyone involved in the process.
Read moreOpen Adoptions - What Are the Legal Pros and Cons?
The open adoption is the standard in how parents will adopt out children in the 2000s, and this situation provides for a better relationship with the child and the adoptive parents to help seek a mutually beneficial arrangement between all parties. There are certain pros and cons of this type of adoption, and it is important to understand how they can affect the situation.
Read morePrivate Adoption Contracts and Potential Legal Issues
Some of the more pressing issues that cause problems for adoptive parents involve the legal complications that a private or independent adoption may cause with the child, press and the biological parents. One particularly complex issue is when the birthmother places the child up for adoption and the birthfather becomes involved in the process.
Read morePrivate Party Adoption - What Do I Need to Know?
There are differences in private party adoptions than when using an agency or the state because of interference, and the birth parents should understand what this process entails before finalizing the adoption. The family may use a private adoption with a lawyer as the go-between with both parents on the sides of the adoption process.
Read more