[Sharon]

I'm there too... my son was born in '90, but I began the adoption process in '89, and feel I have more in common with 80s birthmoms than 90s ones... in 1989, at least in my part of the world, "open adoption" meant knowing your child's first name and the a-parents' first names, and being allowed to correspond with them through the adoption agency... in other words, what we now know as "semi-open adoption" was about as open as it got back then... and even that much contact was considered pretty revolutionary and liberal.
The other thing I feel I have in common with other 80s birthmoms is my ignorance at the time of placement. 1989 was before the advent of the internet, and birthmothers did not have access to the resources that they do today as far as educating themselves about adoption and networking with other bmoms, aparents, and adoptees. You knew what the agency told you... period.
One thing I didn't know was that open adoption contact agreements are "good faith agreements", not legally enforcable.
Another thing I didn't know is that there was a window of time after the relinquishment papers were signed in which I could legally change my mind and reclaim my child.
Would knowing either of these things have changed the course of events? I doubt it, but you never can tell.
I feel that potential birthmothers today have much more awareness about adoption, much more opportunity to research all the various aspects of it before making their final decision.
Also, "counseling" for birthmothers (pre- and post-placement) was not yet in vogue at the time I placed, nor was the need for it really recognized or acknowledged... needless to say, I received none.
Adoption has come a long way in a short time. Legal reform is great, but it takes time. The biggest reform/ improvement/etc between then and now, in my opinion, is wide-spread internet access.
Even adults new to the adoption world are sort of lost when they first arrive at an agency or at this forum. It is ridiculous to believe a pregnant teenaged girl is going to go into adoption simply "knowing" all the facts, or even what questions to ask in order to GET the facts. She is more than likely going to believe what the adoption professionals tell her... and never even question whether or not they are biased, or whether what they tell her is the whole story.
With internet access, a potential birthmom, even a very young one, can receive input from all sides of the triad, and learn, at the very least, the potential risks involved. She is then able to make a much more informed decision. Information is readily available to potential bmoms today that simply was not available in the 80s.
~ Sharon