If you decide to have an open adoption in Nebraska, you can continue to have a relationship with your child after adoption. The following information can help you decide between open adoption vs. closed adoption in Nebraska and whether or not an open adoption in NE is right for you and your child:

A Past of Closed Adoptions in Nebraska

A closed adoption is one where little to no information is exchanged between the birth and adoptive parents in an adoption situation. Up until the last couple of decades, closed adoptions were considered the norm. This was seen as the best way to protect birth parents’ privacy during a time when adoptions were falsely seen as something to be ashamed of.

Closed adoptions gave adoptees and their future children no biological health history and no answers to their questions about why they were placed for adoption. Birth parents were unable to know what happened to the child after the adoption. The lack of information allowed in closed adoptions meant that birth and adoptive families were rarely able to find one another if they decided later on that they wished to regain contact.

A Shift Toward Open Adoption in Nebraska

Modern adoptions have changed. Now, 90 percent of birth parents choose semi-open or open adoptions in Nebraska. Research has shown that both birth and adoptive parents benefit from more open adoptions, but adoptees benefit the most.

But there is still plenty of confusion surrounding open adoptions, and many people don’t understand birth mother rights in open adoption in Nebraska.

Rather than being strictly one thing or the other, Nebraska open adoptions typically fall somewhere on a scale between closed to semi-open to open. Learn more about semi-open adoptions here.

There are no “rules” that you must adhere to in order to have an open adoption. Your Nebraska open adoption can look however you want it to, depending on what everyone involved is comfortable with. Just like any relationship, open adoptions are flexible and can naturally evolve, grow and change over time.

Many birth and adoptive families who have an open adoption in Nebraska share:

• Their direct contact information so that they can talk easily

• Phone calls, emails, letters, texts, photos, etc.

• Family visits

• And more

However, you can have a more or less open adoption, if you wish. Birth parents with American Adoptions choose what they’re comfortable with. All of our adoptive families are comfortable with an open adoption that includes a minimum of exchanging photos and letters for up to 18 years with their direct contact information, a visit to Nebraska after placement and more.

Although this is the minimum that we require for adoptive parents who adopt through American Adoptions, you can decide if you want to have more or less contact with the adoptive family than that. Remember: birth parents are the ones who decide what kind of post-adoption relationship they want to have.

Breaking Down the Facts of Open Adoption in NE

There are many common myths about open adoption in Nebraska. You’ve probably heard a few yourself. But these facts about NE open adoption can help you sort the truth out from the rumors:

• Open adoptions give you the chance to remain a part of your child’s life forever.

• Open adoptions don’t mean that you’ll be co-parenting alongside the adoptive parents.

• Open adoptions don’t mean that you’ll be able to “get your baby back after the adoption.”

• Open adoptions allow your child to talk to you directly about their adoption.

• Open adoptions don’t confuse children about who their “real parents” are just because they have birth parents who love them.

• Open adoptions let you see your child growing up surrounded by love.

American Adoptions advocates for open adoptions in Nebraska whenever situations allow. Open adoptions have been shown to be beneficial for everyone involved in adoptions, but especially for adopted children.

Are Open Adoptions Legally Enforceable in Nebraska?

There are a number of steps that must be taken in order for a post-adoption contact agreement (PACA) to be considered legally enforceable in the state of Nebraska, so consult your adoption attorney to find out if a PACA is legally available to you in your individual situation.

Legally enforceable PACAs are rarely needed, thankfully, as most birth and adoptive families communicate easily without any need for formal contracts telling them to do so. American Adoptions thoroughly counsels both birth and adoptive families about why honoring one’s word in an open adoption is so important.

If, for any reason, contact is lost between the two parties, American Adoptions will hold any intended correspondence for up to 18 years in case the missing party wants to get back in touch.

Call 1-800-ADOPTION to learn more about open adoption in Nebraska and to begin viewing open adoption parent profiles now.

Disclaimer
Information available through these links is the sole property of the companies and organizations listed therein. American Adoptions provides this information as a courtesy and is in no way responsible for its content or accuracy.