I want to know about adoption?

monkeykitty83

Technically, an "open" adoption is just one in which there is an exchange of identifying information and a plan for future contact. It CAN include visits, but also may not. Adoptions are still considered open if they exchange letters, e-mail, phone, send pictures, etc.

Also, moving out of the country does not necessarily mean no visits. The visits won't be frequent, but in many open adoption situations actual visits are rare anyway, and most contact is not face to face.

Even with all this being the case, open adoption is not enforceable by law. It's an honour system agreement. Either party has the ability to discontinue contact, and the other party has no legal recourse. Open adoption cannot be kept open by force of law, only by mutual agreement.

So no, nothing prevents the adoptive parents from moving abroad, even in an open adoption.

cantstopLinnyG

Open adoption is not legally enforced in the US. If the adoptive parents shut the door on the first mom, there's nothing she can do. They can move wherever they want to.

DevonChaos

The adoptive parents can say they want an open adoption, then move out of the country while the ink on the documents is still wet. There is no legal way to uphold an open adoption. They are just a coercive tactic used to make first mothers think that they have the option of still being in the child's life. This isn't always the case, as some adoptive parents choose to cut off ties at one point in time or another.
There isn't much a first mother can do.

Philippa

Open adoption in the UK amounts to letterbox contact only in theory but there are situations where both sides wanted more so fought for more. However if either side wants to close the adoption then there isn't much that can be done about it.

I do have a friend who had two children adopted (long story why they were adopted) and has successfully (and legally) forced her children's adoptive parents to keep up contact. It helped that the social worker actually agreed with her that her children should have contact as they remember her.

farm mom of 10

An open adoption is when both parties agree to let the birth parents stay in the child's life to some extent, but it is NOT like a divorce when the parents go to court and have joint custody. It isn't something that can be enforced by law. It's just an agreement, and the birth parent has to hope the people she has chosen to adopt will have the moral fortitude to keep their promises.

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