One
of the most convincing arguments surrounding openness and adoption is the
ability for adoptive children to access medical records. After hearing about
Linda's personal account, I think it is the adoptive child’s right
to be able to obtain medical records, regardless of future intent with those
documents. Other arguments that favor open adoption include the potential
relationship that the birthparent(s) and adopted child could develop.
Personally, I have witnessed one of my best friends being able to reconnect
with her birthparents after she became a legal adult and create a healthy
relationship with both birthparents. While I disagree with the idea of “fusing
two or more existing families and making them into a larger one” when having an
open adoption, I think after becoming a legal adult the adopted child should
have the ability to contact and pursue a relationship with birthparent(s)
(Allen, 52).
While
open adoption has some advantages, I also agree with the arguments made in
favor of closed adoptions. Mary’s personal account earlier in class this week described
one of the most convincing statements on why open adoption may not be the
correct path. She stated “open adoption is for making the adults feel better
and is not in the best interest of the child”. When the birthparent places their
child into the adoption pool, they are essentially releasing rights as a parent
and ultimate decision maker for their child. Because of this, it would be in
the child’s best interest for adoption to be closed in order to reduce the
unknown possibility of later emotional stress, confusion, and negotiation that
would need to be made between all parties involved. Closed adoption also
reflects the parent acting with beneficence and maleficence; again placing the
child’s best interest before all other concerns.
Overall,
the strongest argument for open adoption is the ability for adoptive children
to obtain their medical records. Likewise, closed adoption helps to prevent
potential negotiating and conflict between birthparents, the adoptive family,
and adoptive child. The central concern of adoption is to put the child’s best
interest first. But what happens when the privacy of the child or privacy of
the birthparents comes into question? If an adoptive child wants to outreach to
a birthparent, should they have that right? In what situation does another
parties rights become more important?-Gretchen Mach
Graded Blog Post Reply
ReplyDeleteGretchen,
I agreed with your points of agreement and disagreement for both open and closed adoptions. I had never thought of the idea of “fusion of families” until reading it in Anita Allen’s article. I wholeheartedly feel like this is the scariest idea for adoptive families who are considering open adoption. The idea of a birthparent, who has given up legal rights to her child, returning into the life of the child in a seemingly unrestrained way is simply daunting. There is also, as you mentioned, a huge possibility for confusion in the child’s life. This stems from the child having too many individuals acting as “the family”. With the potential of four or maybe more “parental figures giving advice, direction, praise, or punishment, it is hard to see why anyone would want a full adoption that blends the families.
I feel though that it would go against the rights of the birthparent simply to allow the child to have full access to all informational records. However, I think once the birthchild has been deemed a legal adult or 19 as some agencies request, then the adopted child should have the rights to seek out information regarding the birthparent(s). The best possibility for this would be that the adoption agency has the information available and will be the intermediary for any request for contact until proper consent is given both ways.
I am not advocating solely for closed adoption either because I feel as though that is much to strict. I would not be opposed to closed adoptions as long as the child is able to make a request for information at legal age and that all medical information is released at adoption, and will be supplemented if new arises.
It is hard to know what the best option truly is for adoption. Many people are involved who will state their opinions whether outright or subtly. Ultimately, each case is different; the question begs, is there any best way that agencies and their clients can decide how best to approach the idea of deciding if open or closed adoption is in the best interest of the child? Should there be limitations for open adoptions based on the birthparent(s) history? What should occur if the adoptive parents have decided to begin to close off the adoption after beginning with an open adoption? In this situation, who’s rights should come first? Is this fair?