What is Semi-Open Adoption in Colorado?
By David Seamonson
Adoption is a difficult choice to make as is, but when you have never heard the language experts use or any of the weird jargon that comes with it, it becomes difficult to wrap your head around. The goal of adoption agencies is to make the adoption process easy for you, which may mean helping you understand what types of adoption are available. When considering adoption, you are taking a big step in the life of another person and your own. Therefore, it is best to know what impact this will have on their future and your own. Step in the adoption plan can increase a connection with your child or decrease interaction with your birth child. There are three main choices in determining the contact you would have with a child in the future in a private adoption in Colorado: open, semi-open, and closed adoption.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
Semi-Open Adoption
Semi-open adoptions are a combination of the open adoption and the closed adoption styles. What this means is that you can have contact with your child through an independent source through an adoption agency. If you choose this option, you are limiting the amount of future contact you will have with your child. You will not be able to see them face to face, but you can still see them grow up. An adoption agency will give you a secure link to a file so that you can see pictures of your child with their new family. This choice helps many birth mothers because you are giving up a large portion of yourself, so it offers a gateway to see the child you created and what kind of life they are living.
Open Adoption
Of the options, open adoptions allow for a lot of input into how you can interact with your birth child as they grow up. This can allow a relationship to form and leave less up to fate. This is an interactive form of adoption where you directly meet the parents adopting the child and contact them on how to proceed in the future. Open adoption allows you to still be a part of your child’s life as they grow up, and they can still have some contact with you as long as that was agreed upon with the adopting parents.
Closed Adoption
On the other hand, closed adoptions are a bit different because they eliminate all of the interaction between you and an adopting family. An adopting family will be selected for you, and you will not have to do anything more for the family or your child. Instead, the adoption agency will select a home for your child, organize the adoption transfers, and work further with you to make sure that you can return to your normal life after the adoption is completed.
Of these three options, open adoption allows for the most flexibility to have contact in the future. Since you have contact with the adopting family, you can have the possibility to change your contract and future contact with them if you wish. This is why incorporating some of these features into semi-adoption helps mothers when placing your baby for adoption since you might not wish to have full contact with your child, but you want the assurance that they are in a great place.
The Benefits of Choosing a Semi-Open Adoption with Adoption Choices of Colorado
Semi-open adoption benefits you because you do not have to worry about the adopting family. You are slightly involved in the selection process where you can select from a pool of adopting families to adopt your child if you wish to do so. You are not required to see your child over the channel provided to you by the adoption agency, but it is always there if you want to check-in. It allows for flexibility and assurance that you made the right choice for you and your child.
Many mothers face this dilemma, and semi-open adoption might be the right choice for you as the birth mother. Of the three options, it offers comfort in your decision and no further obligations for you. Hopefully, if an adoption agency asks you about these choices, you will know what they mean and will help you move through the adoption process.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.