Are newborn adoptions now in general done privately?

Question

When I was given up for adoption as a newborn, it was done through the public social services agency. There were no costs to anyone, except the home study, and my bio-mom gave me up willingly, her rights weren't terminated by the court or anything like that.

Is that not the way most American newborn adoptions are done anymore? I assumed that they were still done that way, but now I am confused because of many of the answers on this forum.

Answer 1

Newborn adoptions are generally done through agencies which charge exorbitant fees for the sale of healthy white children (and the prices drop for other types of children).  Some PAP's adopt privately - most of these adoptions are unethical.  I have heard of two private adoptions that didn't overstep the boundaries of what most adoption-reformist folks (myself included) would consider to be unethical.

Answer 2

it goes both ways, public and private. A lot of birth parents will use an agency to pick which parents they want for their child, while others just want someone else to help make the decisions. It is not easy either way, but was for your best interest. Either way is really difficult. My husband and I have been approved for adoption through social services, and it is a long drawn out road with every hoop to jump through.

If you keep that in mind, understand that is what your bio-mom worked toward. She gave you a wonderful gift- life, even though she obviously felt that she was unable to care for you herself.

Answer 3

Our adoption was done privately much like yours.

I'm sure many newborn adoptions are done by agencies too but I'm not one to speak about experiences that I don't have.

Answer 4

Most newborns do not go into social services. More common now is that the pregnant woman finds a private agency so the baby goes directly from hospital to new parents. Our daughters mom went to the hospital in early labor. She was from outside the country and thought it would work the way you said. They strongly advised her to find a family on her own rather than use social services. The labor stopped, she found us, and two weeks later my daughter was born. She was able to pick the family she wanted for her daughter, and to see us together as a family at the hospital (something she said was important to her).

Answer 5

I just recently went threw adopting a baby who's mother gave to us right after Christmas all we did was contact a lawyer and pay for a home study that was it. and for those who say the going threw dhhr is free no its not.