Later, she felt it might be a good idea to connect with her
birth parents to get her health history and other family information.
People who work with adoptive families, however, have urged for years that the term be avoided when distinguishing between
birth parents and adoptive parents because of the tendency to contrast "natural'" with "unnatural." Children raised by parents who did not bear them have the right to consider their parents "'natural." Use of this term to describe a
birth parent leaves your pediatrician readership with a limited vocabulary.
The sample consisted of 20 adoptees (four men and 16 women), ranging in age from 26 to 71 years (8) (the average age was 38 years), with 10 to 26 years having passed since initial reunion with at least one
birth parent. Thirteen of the 20 participants had initiated the original contact.
Although knowing what
birth parents believe would be in the best interests of their children is certainly important, these beliefs do not necessarily represent the actual best interests of donor offspring, particularly adult donor offspring.
families, they might be presented with a
birth parent note, or a finding
Harrell of Catholic Charities in Arlington often encounters prospective parents who are worried about
birth parents and what kind of presence they may have in an adopted child's life.
Even with international adoptions, she said, opportunity to contact
birth parents is happening more and more.
Other factors that contributed to the connection of birth family members and adoptive parents over time included a decreased fear of the
birth parent reclaiming the child.
Would the child want to contact the
birth parents later on?
"The
birth parents are other relatives, very important relatives, but not 'mom' or 'dad,'" he said.
The act requires that
birth parents be given information on the process and effect of adoption before they can relinquish a child.
It seems to be almost expected these days that an adopted child eventually will try to seek out his or her
birth parents. However, while television programs and newspapers occasionally profile happy reunions, the reality can be quite different, maintains Wanda Draper, professor or psychology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.