Women choose adoption for a number of reasons. A woman may have life and career goals she wants to pursue, unsure about her relationship with the father of the baby, or she may believe that the best place for a child belongs is in a stable, loving, two-parent home. Whatever the reason, it is a courageous and beautiful choice.
The first thing to know about adoption is that a lot has changed. Today the adoption process has empowered the birthmother so that she makes all the decisions. A woman considering adoption is able to choose the family, where they live, how many kids in the family, religious background, economic level-whatever is important to her. And the options of families are endless. There are estimated 2 million families waiting each year to adopt.
How much do you really know? Many women are choosing
adoption and are proud about their decision. Some women do not feel ready to parent
and see adoption as an option that benefits everyone involved.
Adoption is the legal placement of a child with people who will raise the child as their own.
An open adoption involves an agreement between a child’s adoptive family and birth family that says that the two families will keep in touch. In other words, open adoption allows for birth parents to contact the child they gave birth to through letters, pictures, and visits with the child and his family.
There are an estimated 2 million families waiting to adopt, that is forty families for every
child placed for adoption.
Yes, there are a number of maternity homes across the country that are specific for
women who are choosing adoption. A woman may choose to leave her environment
and travel across the country to carry out an adoption in total confidentiality, if that’s
what she wants. She may also choose to go to a nearby maternity home for support
and other services. There are many other options including people who open up their
homes to women, religious orders who take in pregnant women support them during
their adoption journey, and more. Birth Choice can assist women who are interested
in learning more about these options.
Absolutely. We have many women who chose adoption and today are very happy and
proud of their choice and who are eager to share their adoption journey and answer
any questions you may have.
At most adoption agencies, adoptive parents go through a fairly lengthy process in order to become "approved." They attend group meetings and interviews. They complete a lot of paperwork, and they go through a "home study." Each agency prepares their families differently, but they all do their best to make sure the family is ready for a baby.
Birth parents can be very involved in choosing an adoptive family for their child; they can also choose to be completely uninvolved. When choosing prospective adoptive families, birth parents are often given profiles of each family. Profiles include information about potential adoptive families’ ages, their physical and personality descriptions, their marriage, religion, lifestyle, occupation, education, feelings about birth parents, and more.
Each state has different laws about this, too. There is usually a waiting period of 48 hours or more before a child can be placed. Contact a local adoption agency to find out what the laws are in your state.
We refer to several qualified agencies in the Orange County area. Please call our office to set up an appointment for more information.
