IMPORTANT TERMS

Words and Terms to Know and How They Pertain to Adoption

Open Adoption: An open adoption is a form of adoption in which the biological and adoptive families have access to varying degrees of each other's personal information and have an option of contact.

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Closed Adoption: Closed adoption is a process by which an infant is adopted by another family, and the record of the biological parent is kept sealed. 

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Domestic Adoption: A Domestic Infant Adoption is the adoption of a baby born within the United States by a family that lives in the United States. 

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International Adoption: International adoption is a type of adoption in which an individual or couple becomes the legal and permanent parent of a child who is from a different country.

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The Hague Convention: The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention) is an international treaty that provides important safeguards to protect the best interests of children, birth parents, and adoptive parents who are involved in intercountry adoptions.