Modern vs. Past Oklahoma Adoption
Adoption has greatly changed, for the better, in the past century. Adoption Choices of Oklahoma understands how difficult things were for birth mothers in the past. We are ready to help you through this time in all the ways that were never offered in the past. We will help you through choosing your adoption agreement, your child’s adoptive parents, finding your child a home, and making sure you have all the services you need.
Birth Parent Private Adoption Rights
In the past, birth parents were not allowed any input into their child’s adoption. This included their adoption agreement, choosing their children’s adoptive parents, and what type of home their child may have. Today, birth mothers have rights and representation to protect those rights and interests. Birth mothers now have the right to choose their child’s adoptive family and their adoptive agreement.
Oklahoma Child Adoption Agreement
As of now, birth mothers have the choice between a closed, semi-open, or open adoption agreement. This depends on the amount of contact you wish to have with your child in the future. As of fifty years ago, birth mothers were never allowed to contact their children or know if they would see them again. In the 21st century, you have the right to have no contact or as much as possible.
So long as it is agreed upon before the adoption is finalized, there is nothing stopping you from having a relationship with your child in the future. Just know that you will not be co-parenting or raising this child. You would be more of an aunt or family friend, or however, you and your child’s adoptive parents decide to introduce you. Some birth mothers have great relationships with their children’s adoptive parents and become a special part of the family.
Choosing Your Child’s Adoptive Family in Oklahoma
You also have the right to choose these parents. You can choose families who are religious, or are not religious, parents who are married or single, or families who live in the city or the suburbs. For instance, if you know you want someone with other children to raise your baby, this can be something you can keep in mind as you look through family profiles.
Your adoption agency caseworker will provide you with various adoptive family profiles for you to look through and choose from. All of these families are screened and vetted through home studies, background checks, and interviews. This was not always the case. Adoptive families were not screened about one hundred years ago.
Private Child Adoption History: Orphan Train Movement
In the late 19th, early 20th centuries, children were placed on train platforms in the midwest and auctioned off to adoptive families. These families were more likely looking for manual labor than children to raise as a family. That is completely different today, where families are formed to give homes and love to children in need.
Adoption As A Taboo Topic
Fortunately, Adoption is much less of a taboo today than it was fifty years ago. However, in the 1950s, adoption was much more of a taboo topic that people hid and shied away from. Adoption was considered a dirty word because it implied the birth mother did something wrong by getting pregnant or that the adoptive parents did something wrong by not biologically having a child; neither of these statements is true, of course.
There is nothing wrong with adoption in Oklahoma, there is nothing wrong with adopting a child, and there is nothing wrong with placing your baby up for adoption. Everyone involved in the Tulsa, Oklahoma, adoption process is doing what is best for them and the child. Placing your child up for adoption is a beautiful sacrifice that takes a lot of strength; there is nothing wrong with it. In fact, today, there are many books discussing infant adoption for young children to learn about where they came from and how their family was formed.
Unplanned Oklahoma Teenage Pregnancies of the Past
Many birth mothers in the 1950s were sent away while pregnant and usually thought to be unwed teenagers. Today, we know that birth mothers are from all backgrounds and ages and do not need to be sent away. However, if you are unable to stay in your town or do not have a place to stay, your agency caseworker can arrange for housing.
This is also true about medical treatment if you do not have access to good medical treatment and insurance. Adoption agencies and adoption centers did not provide services for birth mothers in the past but do now. These services can be anything from transportation to medical appointments to housing and financial aid throughout your unplanned pregnancy and recovery.
Oklahoma Private Adoption Agency Counseling for Birth Mothers
Counseling and mental health were never anything considered important or of consequence in the past. Today, you can get access to counseling and psychiatric services easily, especially with your Oklahoma adoption caseworker’s help. Mental health is very important, and help is available, regardless of whether it is postpartum depression, anxiety, grief, or anything else.
Oklahoma Adoption Services of Today
We hope this article has been of some help and has informed you of the benefits of modern, private Oklahoma adoption in comparison to the adoption of the past. We are ready to help you in any way possible. If you want the services and community birth mothers of the past to be denied, contact us today.
Adoption Choices of Oklahoma is a private adoption agency, licensed by the state of Oklahoma and leader in the adoption community. We have been assisting birth parents, children, and adoptive families in Oklahoma for over 19 years. Our staff members are committed to providing an ethical, empowering, and personalized adoption experience to all involved in the adoption process. If you are currently in the process of adopting a baby and have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us.
Toll-free: 800-898-6028 | OKC Local: 405-755-1999 | Tulsa Local: 918-447-7777 | Text: 405-310-8790 | Email
Meet the author: Carly is a recent graduate of Connecticut College with a dual degree in Psychology and Italian Studies. Graduating Cum Laude with honors in both Psychology and Italian departments, Carly has a background in gender-related research through the Connecticut College Psychology Department and Honors Theses Program. When not trying to figure out life or working, Carly is reading historical fiction novels or playing with her black cat, Isabelle.
