Society has overcome many changes over the years, and changes in the foundation of the American adoption system is a reflection of just how much the world has evolved. Decades ago, when adoption first began, it was almost all closed. But nowadays, the trend toward open adoption has begun to be acceptable to society. The choice of open adoption vs. closed adoption is one of the most challenging decision birth parents can make. In both processes of adoption, an agreement is created with all the details of the terms and conditions so both the birth and adoptive parents are able to receive and keep them. An ongoing debate among states and the United States legislations is trying to tackle how to compromise on these two types of methods and whether or not it is in their power choice to interfere. With such an emotional topic at hand, the pros and the cons of both sides of the debate must be analyzed.
The United States Supreme Court and State legislation have been discussing the issue of the two main adoptive methods: sealed or unsealed and the dramatic impact it has on families. When an adoption case is written as closed; the adoptive families and the birth parents never have contact with one another after the adoption. In some cases, there may never be contact prior to the adoption, and the child is just granted to the adoptive family. As the years went on, the United States began to accept the idea of open adoption. This means records are open and families are able to openly communicate. Both sides of the debate have illustrated important reasons but the biggest answer to this controversy lies on is it what makes the child comfortable or the parents? On the sealed adoption debate, supporters believe that open adoption will increase abortion rates while taking away from the anonymity of the parents and the child. Supporters of open adoption believe that it decreases the amount of stress and psychological disorders that occur from the child not knowing where they came from and if the child were to get sick; diagnosing the illness would be easier with medical records that explain family history.