Published: April 07, 2008 04:19 pm            

Baby business

Adoption agency celebrates 5 years, 38 loving families

By Tippi Rasp

Staff Writer



A local organization working to connect birth parents with adoptive families just celebrated its fifth anniversary.

Adoption Services of Oklahoma offers birth mothers alternatives to unplanned or unsure pregnancies and helps unite the children with loving adoptive families.

Since its inception, Adoption Services of Oklahoma has placed 38 babies with adoptive parents.

“We provide a positive choice for unplanned pregnancy,” said Leslie Klamm, child placement supervisor for Adoption Services of Oklahoma.

Because Oklahoma has progressive birth laws, couples seeking to adopt all around the country are drawn to Oklahoma.

“There’s not a lot of loopholes in Oklahoma,” Klamm said.

Many birth moms prefer to place babies with out-of-state families.

All medical expenses of the birth mom are paid, and doctors provide a high level of care to the pregnant women, said Jennifer Garrett, social services director at Adoption Services of Oklahoma.

Adoption Services also can provide resources for housing, planning for nutritious meals, legal expenses, transportation to health visits, counseling sessions and other events.

Each adoptive couple is carefully screened by Klamm, and the adoptive parents must consent to a complete home study. The home study requires a criminal background check, proof of financial stability, personal references, child abuse clearances and they must be able to demonstrate to the staff that the baby would be raised in a loving environment.

Birth parents can request photos from adoptive parents and the level of contact is up to them.

Garrett, Klamm and Catherine Sneed, the operations manager at Adoption Services, believe adoption is the hardest — and often — the best choice for birth parents facing an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy.

“A lot of people think of this as the easy way out,” Klamm said. “It’s a hard choice, putting (the baby’s) needs above your own.”

The majority of the couples seeking help from Adoption Services of Oklahoma aren’t able to have children of their own. The Adoption Services staff feels like birth parents are giving the ultimate gift — a loving and stable family a child of their own. In time, birth moms find peace in what they have done and are able to move on knowing their baby is happy and healthy.

“In so many ways, it’s a win-win situation,” Klamm said.

Adoption Services of Oklahoma is audited annually by the state Department of Human Services. The agency offers a successful placement rate and exemplary services and record-keeping marks.

“We go above the standards,” Garrett said.

Garrett said they go above and beyond what’s expected to provide greater accountability and higher standards and caliber of care.