I found out about this series from a list serve that I am on. It’s from 2004 so it’s dated, but thought it would be interesting for people to revisit.
The Many Faces of Adoption

About 1.6 million American families have adopted children. In more and
more cases, they are open adoptions. Four families share their stories
with us, from a family’s decision to adopt to an adult adoptee’s
reflection on how his life was changed.
Adoption Presents Couples with Myriad Choices
December 24, 2004 ·
Once prospective parents decide to adopt, the options before them can
be overwhelming: Open or closed? Domestic or international? Same race
and ethnicity, or different? Negotiating the details is an intensely
personal process. NPR’s Elaine Korry profiles one Bay Area couple for
whom that process led overseas.
Adoption from the Birth Mother’s Perspective
December 24, 2004 ·
Birth parents tend to have more power — and more choices — in the
adoption process than ever before. They can choose which family raises
the baby and how much contact, if any, they’ll have as the child grows
up. NPR’s Tovia Smith spends time with one 16-year-old birth mother
planning to place her child for adoption.
Open Adoptions Redefining the Extended Family
December 24, 2004 ·
Families choosing open adoption don’t just gain a son or daughter —
they gain an extended family that includes a birth mother and sometimes
aunts and grandparents. For one adoptive family in Overland Park, Kan.,
building and keeping those ties is not as complicated as it sounds.
NPR’s Greg Allen reports.
Finding an Adoptive Family on the Eve of Adulthood
December 24, 2004 ·
Roughly 50,000 children are adopted out of foster care each year. One
in five of those is a teen. Another 20,000 teens "age out" of the
system, leaving without finding a permanent adoptive family. NPR’s Anne
Hawke profiles Robert Jackson-Wright, who met his adoptive family on
the eve of adulthood.
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