Choices Adoption & Counseling Services, Inc. is a non-profit organization, licensed by the Children, Youth and Families Department of New Mexico. Our program operates independently from the Department and is presently supported by adoption fees. The placement process is fashioned after two successful programs that have been used by Family and Children Services, Traverse City, Michigan, and Social Services, Dioceses of Green Bay, Wisconsin, for over 25 years.

Ongoing studies regarding the long term affects of traditional, closed adoption indicate the need for change. We believe this change requires the process be placed back into the hands of those it affects the most. The program’s primary goal is to eliminate the secrecy and fear of the unknown that traditional adoption creates. Adoptive parents are often threatened by the idea of birthparents coming back into the life of their child after placement. Birthparents live with an uncertainty about their children’s welfare that can be devastating. An adoptee may have great difficulty maturing emotionally without facts concerning his/her biological heritage. The open concept eliminates these problems and offers additional advantages to its participants. The agency’s professional staff has over 40 years experience with adoption issues and counseling. This enables them to understand and meet the needs of each member of the adoption triangle before and after placement.

The decline of available infants for adoption exhibits a need for a new approach. Presently over 96% of unwed mothers choose to parent their newborns. Raising a child born out-of-wedlock no longer carries the severe social stigma it once did. This, in combination with the availability of public assistance, makes it feasible for single and/or adolescent parents to rear their children.

The majority of infant adoptions today are the result of birthparents’ realistic evaluations of their ability to parent and strong beliefs that adoption will provide a better future for their children. Adoptive parents share a desire to do what is best for their children, hence the foundation for open adoption.

Choices Adoption & Counseling Services, Inc., is the product of many people who have been involved with adoption. Because of their experiences, the CACS staff believes open adoption embodies the honesty and trust that are essential for successful parenting.

Copyright © 2000 Choices Adoption & Counseling Services, Inc.