Researcher examines the positives and negatives of open adoption

These days, 95% of adoptions are "open," meaning birth parents, or the birth mother, have some degree of involvement with the adoptive family. Those arrangements vary widely, from occasional pictures and milestones to regular visits and involvement in the child's day-to-day life.

For many, these arrangements work beautifully, but, as author and adoptee Nicole Chung writes, in other cases, there are also pitfalls. Among them are promises broken, birth parents or adoptive families changing their minds about what they want, or differing views on what is best for the child.

In some states, there are legal documents called post-adoption contract agreements. But not all states have them, and in many states, they're not legally binding. And, they're difficult to enforce for a host of reasons.

Chung's article in The Atlantic is called "When Adoption Promises are Broken." She joins host Robin Young to discuss her research and why some birth mothers she spoke with believe open adoption was the best possible choice.