MAY 26 • 2022 | 17

DNA testing has lifted the 
veil of secrecy on closed 
adoptions, also called 
“confidential” or “secret” 
adoptions. Once a com-
mon practice in the United 
States, they make up only 
5% of adoptions today.
 Closed adoption is a 
process by which an infant 
is adopted by another fam-
ily, and the record of the 
biological parent(s) is kept 
sealed — protected from 
inquiries. 
Closed adoption was 

often a societal solu-
tion intended to hide the 
“shame” of children born 
to unwed mothers. In the 
1950s, social workers felt 
no pressure to include 
information about the father 
in the records.
Closed adoption had the 
benefits of protecting the 
privacy of birth parent(s) 
while preserving the rights 
of adoptive parents to raise 
their child without the dis-
traction or interference of 
birth parents. Such adop-

tions allow for the most 
privacy and may provide a 
sense of closure for some 
birth mothers. 
At that time, a husband 
and wife wanting to adopt 
a child were generally 
required to prove a diagno-
sis of the woman’s infertil-
ity, confirmed by a doctor. 
Adoptive parents were 
not allowed to obtain their 
child’s medical history.
The closed adoption 
system also denied infor-

mation to adults adopted as 
babies in the 1950s. These 
individuals, now generally 
in their 60s, were left frus-
trated in their quest to find 
their biological families.
Adults adopted in 
Michigan are now able to 
obtain their closed adoption 
record. Google the “how-
to” question and find a link 
giving instructions on the 
Michigan.gov website. 

— Esther Allweiss Ingber

Unlocking Closed Adoptions

