As someone who adopted domestically, I believed that one big difference between domestic and international adoptions was the level of openness available. In a domestic adoption, the parties can choose whether to have an open, semi-open, or closed adoption, and even in a closed adoption, the adoptive family might learn at least a little bit about the birthfamily. I always assumed that information about the birthfamily would not be available when adopting internationally and that maintaining any contact after the adoption was not even possible.

As I was researching information on adoption.com about Guatemala, I stumbled upon Guatemala Adoption Stories. When I read the second story, Finding Carlos Roberto, I learned that an adoption from Guatemala can include a significant amount of information about the birthfamily and that some adoptions continue contact with the birthmother after placement. I am excited to learn that an adoptive family does not necessarily have to choose between a more open domestic adoption or a completely closed international one.

In the article, adoptive mother Patricia Suhody states that her daughter Katie’s portfolio included a social worker’s report about the birth family, which is required in Guatemalan courts before finalizing an adoption. The report included the following information:

• Names and identifying information about the birthfamily


• Birthmother’s reasons for choosing adoption for her child

The reasons that this birthmother chose adoption were heartbreaking. She already had three children who she was trying to feed on $18 a month. The third child was already suffering the effects of malnutrition, so the birthmother knew that she could not feed a fourth child.

The birth-mother's desire to provide a better life for this fourth child was clearly expressed in the document, as was her sadness over having to relinquish her baby to someone else to provide what she herself was unable to give.

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The adoptive family was moved to tears after reading the document, so they started sending letters and pictures to the birthmother twice a year. This sounds very similar to semi-open adoptions in the United States, in which the adoptive family sends pictures and letters to the birthmother on a regular basis.

I believe that some level of openness is a blessing to a child. I believe that information about the birthfamily can be very healing to a child who wrestles with the question of why his birthfamily chose not to parent him. I am thrilled to learn that children who are adopted out of Guatemala are able to find out why they were placed for adoption and have access to information about their birthfamilies.

How exciting that semi-open adoptions are possible even when the child is adopted from another country. I would imagine that the pictures and letters are healing to the birthmother who made the very difficult choice of placing her baby for adoption.