| And What About Adoption? |
| Many have argued of adoption as an alternative to abortion..and many have argued against it. Did you know that there is a major push in this country and abroad for the abolition of adoption?? That's right. Making adoption illegal. The same people that scream "CHOICE" are the ones that want to take the one choice that a woman who can't raise a baby has after it is born. Therefore, increasing abortions on demand. The argument against adoption states that it isn't fair for the "family unit" to be broken up. It isn't fair for a child not to know where he or she came from. I agree that there definitely needs to be a reform on adoption. Records in some states are to be sealed for 99 years and it is virtually impossible to find out where you came from unless you have a first and last name. But, I think the alternative - abortion - isn't the better road to take. |
| Adoption Statistics for Adopted Children
Adopted children do as well as or better than their non-adopted counterparts, according to a 1994 study by the Search Institute, a Minneapolis based public policy research organization specializing in questions of concern to states and cities. This study, the largest examination of adopted adolescents yet undertaken, concludes that: Teens who were adopted at birth are more likely than children born into intact families to live with two parents in a middle-class family. Adopted children score higher than their middle-class counterparts on indicators of school performance, social competency, optimism, and volunteerism. Adopted adolescents generally are less depressed than children of single parents and less involved in alcohol abuse, vandalism, group fighting, police trouble, weapon use, and theft. Adopted adolescents score higher than children of single parents on self-esteem, confidence in their own judgment, self-directedness, positive view of others, and feelings of security within their families. On health measures, adopted children and children of intact families share similarly high scores, and both those groups score significantly higher than children raised by single parents. 7 percent of children adopted in infancy repeated a grade while 12 percent of children living with both biological parents repeated a grade. Compared with the general child population, children placed with adoptive couples are better off economically. Data indicates that adopted children: Do better in educational attainment than single parent children and children raised by grandparents. Enjoy a quality of home environment superior to all the other groups. Have superior access to health care compared to all other groups. Source: American Adoptions |
| MY BIG SECRET!!! |
| In case you haven't figured it out..I'm a birthmother. I place my little girl for adoption almost 5 years ago. She has a wonderful family and is doing great. She knows who me and her birthfather are to the greatest extent that a 4 almost 5 year old can. I get pictures, an occassional video, and a less occassional visit. I was going to abort my daughter. I made the appointment (was told by a clinic in Chicago that I had to wait until I was 10 weeks along to ensure all the "tissue" was retrieved successfully) wrote down the instructions..like having someone drive me..went to the clinic to go through with it...and froze when I had to get out of the car. It was a breezy May day and I slipped the paper back into my jacket pocket and told my boyfriend I couldn't do it. FLASH to day of birth...(I had since moved to Wisconsin) Wisconsin state law says you must apply for a court date to voluntarily surrender parental rights. It took about 2 weeks. During that time my daughter was in foster care with the pastor of a church I had started going to and his wife and their foster child. I got to visit with her and her new family to be and get used to the fact she was not going to be a part of my daily life. The day I signed my rights over, I won't lie, it was hard. That night, I had my boyfriend start a fire outside. It was the beginning of December. I found a light jacket..being by the fire with a heavy coat on would be too warm. We hugged and cried by the fire. I slipped my hands into my pocket and pulled out directions to the abortion clinic and instructions for pre-op. I became pro-life. |
| Great websites for adoption and birthmothers |
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