Choices, Voices, and Redemption of Adoption-Norcross, GA
Thanks to the “glamorization” of pregnancy and single parenting, the stigma associated with unwed mothers has loosened its grip and is leading more women to choose parenting over abortion. However, the third option – to place the baby for adoption – remains untenable. Unfortunately, it is still bound by stigma and misconceptions resulting from archaic thinking and misinformation.
Currently, abortion out numbers adoption at a rate of 149:1 in the US alone. In 2014, only 18,000 babies under the age of 2 were placed for adoption while another million had their lives terminated. Today there are 36 waiting adoptive families for each 1 baby placed for adoption.
Through information and education, this trend can be reversed. “Adoption Triad” is a term for a group of people connected through adoption — the adopted person, adoptive parents, and first parents. The part of the adoption triad we hear the least about is the birth parent who makes the selfless, difficult, and loving decision to place a baby for adoption. Obria Medical Clinics near Norcross, located in Lawrenceville, Georgia is intentionally striving to provide its patients with accurate and timely information about this real option.
Arrow + Root, an organization that works with hopeful parents is partnering with Obria and other agencies to empower and equip staff and volunteers with the knowledge and confidence to thoughtfully navigate adoption conversations.
In a research study done by the Guttmacher Institute in New York, the reasons most frequently cited for having an abortion were:
- That having a child would interfere with a woman’s education, work or ability to care for dependents (74%)
- That she could not afford a baby now (73%)
- That she did not want to be a single mother or was having relationship problems (48%)
Realistically, everything achieved through having an abortion is also achievable through adoption.
Reasons Why Expectant Mothers Do Not Choose Adoption
Reason 1: It would be easier to have an abortion than to make an adoption plan for a child I have carried for nine months and will have bonded with.
Reality: “Adoption is not a natural choice, but the redemptive aspect of adoption is that an expectant parent has the power to choose the loving family in which her baby will grow,” said Mallory Fogas, owner of Arrow + Root. Every adoption is unique and often evolves over time, according to Fogas. There is now a new understanding about the importance of the Adoption Triad, which acknowledges the significance of the expectant mother and the needs of the adopted child.
Reason 2: Pregnancy soon becomes apparent to everyone, and I don’t want to be judged for “giving up” my baby.
Reality: Adoption has been misrepresented as ‘giving up’ a child. In reality, the birth mother is actually giving her child a future by placing her baby in a family who will raise and nurture him.
Reason 3: Even if I go through with placing my baby for adoption, how can I be sure that my child will be safe?
Reality: Adoption is a legal, voluntary transference of parental rights from one parent to another. This is a permanent arrangement. Adoptive parents undergo a stringent process called a home study to ensure the child’s safety in their permanent home.
Reason 4: Adoption is abandonment.
Reality: An actual definition of “abandon” is: “to leave completely and finally; forsake utterly; desert”. A woman who chooses adoption is actively involved in making a plan for her child’s life. By doing this, she is choosing to participate in her child’s life.
For more information about pregnancy and receiving prenatal care, visit Obria Medical Clinics in Lawrenceville. If you are a birth parent considering adoption, you are valued, seen, and significant. You matter.
Norcross is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. The population as of the 2010 census was 9, 116, while in 2015 the estimated population was 16,634. It is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta metropolitan statistical area, which is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville combined statistical area.