Openness in International Adoptions

ABSTRACT

Along with the increasing numbers of international adoptions, there is a developing trend toward openness. In this study, the authors examined the experiences of U.S. adoptive parents who adopted children from the Republic of Marshall Islands. The surveys addressed their initial motivations, the facilitation process for openness, the terms and conditions and the level of understanding of them by birth and adoptive parents, and insights gained from their experiences. The results suggest that in general, this group of parents embraced openness from the onset, they have had difficulty maintaining contact with birth parents, and still would recommend open international adoptions to prospective adoptive parents. Policy and research implications are discussed.