It’s a big question, but the answer is pretty simple. We started AdoptMatch to preserve the adoption choice for women facing unplanned pregnancies, protect each member of the adoption triad, and restore access to licensed adoption professionals for people who need their services.

1 PRESERVE 

• To preserve adoption as a safe choice for a woman facing an unintended pregnancy, when parenting is not the best option for her or her child.

For pregnant women not ready or equipped to parent, adoption provides a way for her to provide for her child in a deeply intentional way. But if we want to preserve adoption as a safe choice for women, it must be a fully-informed choice—one made only after receiving neutral options education, pre-placement counseling, guidance from licensed, adoption-competent professionals, background information about the adoptive parents, transparency regarding financial matters, and the promise of access to competent and adequate post-adoption support. 

• To preserve adoption as a viable family-building option for those who desire to provide a stable, loving home for a child.

For hopeful parents, we know that adoption can be a beautiful path to parenthood and a viable way to expand a family for those unable to conceive a child. Preserving this option for hopeful adoptive parents means ensuring that their decision to adopt is a fully-informed decision— one made after comprehensive pre-placement education, guidance from licensed, adoption-competent professionals, social/medical information about the child to be adopted and their biological family, and transparency regarding fees and costs. 

2 PROTECT 

• To protect vulnerable expectant mothers and adoptive parents considering adoption from profit-motivated individuals who prey upon them through deceptive advertising practices, disregard for applicable laws, and failure to provide the kind of support the parties require for a successful adoptive placement.  

Domestic adoption is languishing under the predatory and often illegal practices of so-called adoption providers. Most adoption professionals know there are serious problems in the adoption world, but many have given up and accepted these realities as “just the way it is.” To safeguard adoption, we have to reject this approach and begin changing the landscape. The first step is to educate adoptive parents, expectant mothers, and social service providers about the potential dangers and impact of working with unlicensed adoption brokers. Next, as an adoption community, we need to define “ethical adoption” and collectively raise our standards of practice. Finally, we need to enforce existing laws, enact new ones where needed, and demand accountability from judges and law enforcement. 

3 Restore

• To restore the proper roles of licensed, educated, and experienced adoption professionals in the adoption process, so that those who need their services can access them.

Adoption is a uniquely complex process that requires a delicate balancing of all parties’ needs, rights, and responsibilities, while ensuring that the child’s best interests remain paramount. 

The expanded role of the internet in the adoption matching process has allowed unlicensed, unregulated, and often disreputable intermediaries to intercept expectant mothers and hopeful adoptive parents online by boldly and deceptively presenting themselves as adoption agencies. 

Matchmakers and brokers are using the internet to usurp the role of the licensed professionals. Instead of being relied upon for counsel and guidance throughout the adoption, adoption social workers, therapists, agencies, and attorneys are relegated to the performance administrative tasks (witnessing signatures, distributing funds, and filing paperwork). When this happens, expectant mothers and adoptive parents are deprived of the vital support and education they need to successfully navigate the complexities of adoption. This transactional approach to adoption causes lasting damage for all involved, including the child.

AdoptMatch’s mission hasn't changed since we first began in 2017. We’re more committed than ever to our mission to promote ethical adoption practices. 

Click here to find out how AdoptMatch helps connect expectant parents considering adoption with ethical and compassionate adoptive parents, agencies, and attorneys.