Mary Beth Seader and William L. Pierce

Open adoption is intended to ease the grief of separation by allowing the birth mother to establish an ongoing relationship with her child. In the following viewpoint, Mary Beth Seader and William L. Pierce oppose this practice and contend that open adoption may actually prolong or worsen the birth mother’s pain. The authors claim that when the birth mother is allowed to continually contact her child, it inhibits her from defining the loss and achieving closure. Seader serves on the board of directors for the National Council for Adoption (NCFA), an adoption advocacy and child welfare organization. Pierce founded the NCFA, formerly served as its president, and is executive editor of The Adoption Factbook.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. In the authors’ opinion, why are...