Adoption is often overlooked by women facing unplanned pregnancies. Maybe you never had experience with people connected to adoption or you do not understand the process, but depending on your current life situation, it could be the best decision for you and your child.
Like abortion or parenting, adoption is not an easy choice to make. It takes maturity to think about the security of others over your own desires. However, if the idea of being a mother without having the day-to-day responsibilities of motherhood is comforting, perhaps you should consider making an adoption plan.
There are many reasons women choose adoption for their unplanned pregnancies. Here are a few:
There are three different types of adoption plans. They each have varying degrees of contact with the adopting family and child. There is no right or wrong plan. You are in complete control and need to choose what is right for you.
Open adoption means you and the adoptive family share identifying information such as full names, phone numbers, and addresses. You can have access to one another through face-to-face meetings, phone calls, texts, and letters.
Together, you decide what is comfortable for you, the child, and their family. An open adoption gives you more opportunity to be a part of the child’s life than other plans.
Some women who choose adoption prefer to have no communication with the adoptive family or child. To move on with their lives, they feel this is the best choice.
Your identity remains completely anonymous in a closed adoption. You will still choose the adoptive family, but you’ll have no interaction with them before or after the birth. There is complete privacy.
A semi-open adoption means the communication you do have will be through a third-party adoption professional such as an agency or lawyer. You choose how much information and contact you would like to share and receive.
The terms can be negotiated and set by you and the adoptive family. This option allows you to have a carefully defined relationship with your child without the ongoing connection of open adoption.
We can refer you to adoption agencies who will walk with you step by step. They can answer any questions you have about your rights, the laws, and how the process works. In most cases, your prenatal health care, the delivery, and all legal fees are paid by the adopting couple.
You owe it to yourself to look at all of your options with your unexpected pregnancy. Contact The Hope Clinic. Our client advocates are available to share the process with you and give you referrals to agencies. Once again, we want you to have as much information as possible to make the best choice for you.