Adoption Is An Option

“What do you know about adoption?”

When asked this question, many women are quick to reply, “I cannot carry my baby for 9 months and then give him or her away.” Or, “I can’t give up my child.”

However, adoption is not “giving up,” and it’s not “giving away.” Adoption is making a parenting plan for your child by choosing another family to raise him or her. It is a brave choice. It is a courageous choice. It is a selfless choice. It is a choice that will not only change your life, but the life of your child and the life of the family that you choose to raise your child. Adoption can be a fresh start for everyone. Women who choose adoption give their babies a hopeful future in a loving home, while creating a hopeful future for themselves.

Over the last 5–10 years, adoption has changed drastically, and there is a lot of bad information in the community about what adoption is and is not. Many people are familiar with “closed adoptions” or “confidential adoptions,” where an adoption agency or lawyer chooses the adoptive family. Neither the birth mother or the adoptive family know any details about each other’s identity, other than medical information that will help the adoptive family care for the child.

Closed adoptions are becoming less common, and open adoptions are the new standard in the USA. Though it’s easy to define a closed adoption, open adoptions are more diverse. They are tailored to the desires, needs, and wants of both the birth mother and the adoptive family. The birth mother chooses the family and has communication directly with them about their child through letters, pictures, phone calls and even visits. Every open adoption will be different. Open adoption can be a healthy experience for the birth mother, her baby, and the adoptive family.

Questions to ask to decide “is adoption right for me?”:

• Do you have the financial and emotional resources for parenthood?
• Are you ready for the commitment?
• Do you have a supportive community?
• What are your overall goals in life?

If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy, Prestonwood Pregnancy Center is centered on you. We can provide you with a pregnancy test and sonogram, at no cost. If you are interested in more information on adoption, click here and we can arrange for an adoption agency to come speak with you about your options. Please note that Prestonwood Pregnancy is not an adoption agency, nor are we affiliated with one, but we know several that we can refer you to. You will be under no obligation to choose adoption or go with that agency, but it will allow for you to get the best, most current information concerning adoption, straight from the source.