Another choice teens may consider when faced with an unplanned pregnancy is
adoption. Adoption is a permanent and legal agreement which shifts parental rights
from the birth mother/parents to the mother/parents who are adopting the child.
Since adoption is a legal process and both birth parents and people who are
considering adopting a child should consult with an attorney and/or an adoption
agency. Many people don't know that adoption has changed significantly over the
past decade. Most notably, the majority of teens now choose a form of adoption
called "open adoption."

Open Adoption: This form of adoption empowers the birth mother or parents to
make many of the decisions about the type of family they want for their child.
Adoption agencies refer to these and other choices that teens are now able to
make as an adoption plan. An open adoption can allow varying degrees and types of contact between the birth parents and the adoptive parents. In an open adoption both sets of parents must agree on the degree of contact between the birth parents and the adopted child. Some agencies that work with open adoption allow the birth parents to choose the adoptive parents after the agency completes the initial evaluations.

Confidential Adoption: A confidential adoption, or closed adoption, is the traditional adoption model in which the birth parents and adoptive parents do not meet or maintain contact. Most adoption agencies still offer birth mothers the option of "confidential" adoption if it is preferable in their personal circumstances. This is now the less common type of adoption.

Common Adoption Questions:

Can I change my mind?

After the birth of the child, birth parents are allowed to change their minds about the adoption, up to a certain point of the adoption process (state laws vary about the amount of time). In Minnesota, the birth parent(s) must sign a "voluntary consent" form, no sooner than 72 hours after the child's birth. The birth parents have 60 days to sign the form, if they are not ready to do so after the initial 72 hours post birth. After the voluntary consent form is signed, the birth parents have 10 working days to revoke their signatures.

Do you need your parents' permission to place your child for adoption?

In Minnesota, minors must get their parents' or legal guardian's consent to place their child for adoption. The majority of other states (40) do not require parental involvement. If you do not live in Minnesota, click here to learn about the laws in your state.

What if I think I'm a father of a child being placed for adoption?

The Minnesota Department of Health has a program called the Father's Adoption Registry. This program allows an unmarried father to register his name into a database if he feels he is the father of a child and would like to parent the child or be involved in planning the adoption. After the father registers, he is notified if an adoption plan is being made for the child. Registration is free and must be completed no later than 30 days after the child's birth.