Report on "closed" adoptions released . . .

Internet reveals secrets of 'closed' adoptions, report says

It's hard to keep secrets in the age of social media and the adoption world is no exception. Cadieux's story is just one that shows how the Internet is making it easier for birth relatives to find each other, hastening the end of the era of "closed" adoption, the nonprofit Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute said in a report released Thursday. Birth parents are seeking out their kids and adopted children are going online to find biological relatives, often without their adoptive parents' knowledge, according to the report, "Untangling the Web: The Internet's Transformative Impact on Adoption." Adam Pertman, executive director of the Adoption Institute, said he hopes the report will help shape policies and practices that harness the new technology while protecting vulnerable children and parents. "We hope this report will serve as a wake-up call that something historic is happening that demands the attention of legislators, practitioners, law-enforcement officials and the affected parties themselves," Pertman said.

Here's the PDF report . . .