As many of you know, WE tv is going to launch a new reality series this fall about open adoption. From their press release:
Each episode of ADOPTION DIARIES follows a different compelling story from the beginning stages, as a birth mother is faced with the daunting task of choosing her baby’s future family. Viewers follow along as a couple is selected and hear their own unique story, many of which include years of roller coaster emotions surrounding their infertility, the decision to adopt and the overall process itself. Each set of adoptive parents works closely with Jennifer Bliss to develop what will be a lifelong relationship with the birth mother. Together they share in the experience of creating a family, from pregnancy through birth, and the child’s future. Open adoption is a unique process, filled with overwhelming emotions as life is gifted from one mother to another, and families are brought together for the sake of a child’s future.
Like many open adoption advocates, I (Dawn) have concerns about the show and the impact that rolling cameras have as a woman or couple struggle to make a lifelong decision about what is best for their baby. I am concerned about the use of the term “birth mother” before the woman has signed surrenders. Further, how does being filmed for an open adoption television show impact a woman’s decision making process? Once her baby is born and she is revisiting her choices, how will the pressures of camera and a crew (and the unseen television audience) influence her decision?
Television cameras have no place in an adoption plan, period.
It would be one thing to see realistic stories about open adoptions already in place but in a continued search for sensationalized stories to serve to a jaded audience, WE tv is going too far.
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Yes, I agree completely.
I would be much better if the producers of that show interviewed the members of a website like this. The ones that have been living with open adoption for a few years.
Quite honestly part of me wants to watch it, just because I am addicted to anything adoption related, but I feel mad that they want to treat the expectant mom like her decision has already been made by calling her ‘birth mom’. Why do they have to dehumanize her like that?? Do they even realize they are doing great harm to her free will??!
I have more of an issue with this statement, taken from the press release:
…wherein birth moms get to select the couple who will raise them and also have a guaranteed role in the future life of their child…
There are NO Guarantees in adoption and I find this type of statement both misleading and coercive.
In reviewing the laws for California (assuming everyone is in California)I didn’t find any such mention of a guarantee.
As far as I’m concerned, this is just one more attempt to minimize the loss involved in adoption by making lofty promises that really have no basis.
A better statement would have been:
…wherein expectant moms get to select the couple who will raise them and also have a chance to play a role in the future life of their child…
That, as far as I’m concerned, is the reality of open adoption.
@Jane, good point, my god. How often do we see open adoption promises broken? Are they going to exploit THAT tragedy, too?