After reading about teens choosing adoption or abortion and discussing those topics in class, I was interested enough in the topic to do some research. Obviously there are many different articles that discuss the pros and cons of adoption and abortion, but I was able to find one source that was very interesting to me.
As I started reading this article, I found that adoption rates have been steadily decreasing since the 1970s. I asked myself why this would happen. I thought maybe it had to do with the fact that abortion was becoming more socially accepted and is even legal in some areas when this was not the case before. This made sense to me because I thought that if a teen mother was not planning on raising the child as her own, maybe she would not want to go through the pregnancy and childbirth. Therefore, abortion would be an attractive option. However, as I read on, I found out this was not entirely accurate. The article states that the number of women placing their children for adoption has decreased over the years, but the abortion rate has also been decreasing since the 1990s. This means that the decrease in adoption rate is due to something other than the fact that abortion is now also an option. The article then goes on to explain a few other factors that are affecting the adoption rate.
I also found another fact very interesting. When I think about the type of people who would be placing their children up for adoption, I imagine that it would be women or girls who do not want to raise the child (obviously). I assumed that these women would have been living in poverty, so maybe they chose adoption because they knew they could not financially care for a child. Perhaps the mothers did not have a great deal of emotional support from their families or communities, so they chose adoption because they did not feel supported enough to raise a child. In addition, I assumed that mothers who chose adoption had a lower socioeconomic status with little education. I thought mothers who did not feel as if they could provide a good home for their child may be attracted to adoption. In addition, I thought maybe mothers with little educational background would be interested in adoption so that they could continue their education or reach other goals.
However, my original assumptions were mostly wrong. According to this article, many women who choose adoption come from solid, supportive family backgrounds (contrary to my assumption). In addition, they are actually not members of low socioeconomic status. In fact, the article clearly states that women who choose adoption tend to have higher socioeconomic statuses. The article also states that many of these women have more educational and other goals than those who decide to raise their children, so I was on the right track with that assumption.
This article may be more focused on motherhood in general as opposed to specifically teen motherhood, however I still think it is very applicable to what we have been learning in class. My original assumptions regarding adoption came from my own personal experiences, but they also came from watching Catelynn's episode on 16&Pregnant. I had a good friend who was adopted. She did not know much about her biological parents, but she knew her mother was very young and living in poverty. After watching Catelynn's episode, I was left with the impression that she did not come from a family that was very financially stable, or stable at all for that matter. Her stepfather is in and out of jail, and her mother does not seem to offer much emotional support for Catelynn during her pregnancy. However, Lori's episode definitely makes more sense after reading this article. Lori attended a private, religious school, so I assume the school was probably more expensive than most other schools. This leads me to make the assumption that her family is probably financially stable and may even be from a high socioeconomic status. In addition, her parents seem to push adoption, yet in general they seem like a supportive, loving, close-knit family. This goes along with what the article said as well.
For me, this article was beneficial because it gave me a better understanding of the women who choose adoption over abortion or raising the child. I would love to know what kind of women you thought would be attracted to adoption, just to see how many people had the same thought process that I did, and if anyone learned anything else interesting from the article.
If anyone is interested here is the link:
http://statistics.adoption.com/information/adoption-statistics-placing-children.html
Surprisingly these facts are very similar to what I believed already. People with money have a status to keep up with and having your own teenage child have a baby does not look very good. So although I don't believe people with money force their children to have abortions or adoption I think they use very persuasive ways of going about it. Another thing that probably helps is that people with money not only have a higher status to keep up with but they also probably have a degree of some sort and work for what they have which can be convincing for their children. If children see their parents succeeding in life they normally have more of a drive to go to college and find a career that will make them money. Kids coming from families of poverty and with parents that never attended college probably do not have the same motivation because they do not see it as an attainable goal for themselves. They figure that if their parents couldn't make it through college they probably could not either. Also I think people of lower classes feel they have something to prove and think they can treat their children better than they were treated and that is why they do not choose adoption or abortion.
ReplyDeleteKelcy- I was as surprised as you were to see these facts and statistics. I, too, would have believed that the decrease in adoption rates could be largely attributed to the increase in available abortion options and the increase (however slight) in the social acceptance of abortions. It would make sense to me that less teen mothers would choose adoption since things like Plan B are readily available now. However, it seems that we were both wrong. I did not read the entire article, but perhaps the decrease in both adoptions and abortions could be contributed to better women's health care and contraceptive options. Perhaps these statistics imply that both abortions and adoptions have decreased because overall pregnancies in general have decreased. This would make sense based on what we have discussed in class, namely that teen pregnancy rates are lower than they have ever been in history.
ReplyDeleteThe statistics about WHO is choosing adoption is interesting as well - though that one makes a but more sense based on Jordan's comments above. Overall a really great post and read. Thanks for sharing.
The only person who understands why they opted to abort rather than place a child up for adoption is the individual who made this choice. The stereo-type of a poverty stricken mother that cant afford having a baby.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the cost of pre-natal care and pregnancy related expenses.
Another reason someone would be pro abortion rather than adoption would be, Incest and rape situations, which add a whole new level to an already complex situation. Or how about one in which the mother's life is in danger if she chose to give birth rather than abort.
I think that adoption is chosen by every type of women and I think that if the circumstances permit, a mother should try to go the adoption route because giving a loving family a child would be the greatest gift a mother could give.
I pretty much agree with all of these comments.
ReplyDeleteI was definitely in the wrong thinking that adoption rates decreased because of increased abortion rates. It's very interesting to see that both rates are actually decreasing. And Evan made a good point in that the rate probably are decreasing because pregnancy rates are decreasing, maybe not by much, but decreasing none the less.
I would not have guessed that those in a higher economic status are the most likely to give their children up for adoption, although it makes sense because they have the means to do so. Again, I agree with the idea that being in a higher economic status comes with expectations and a certain image that must be upheld. Having money available to go through the pregnancy and give the baby up for adoption as discretely as possible.
Personally, in my specific situation, my family is middle class and my parents would disown me. But, I would not choose abortion, even if I knew I wasn't ready to be a mom. Similarly to Lori in 16 and Pregnant, I am strongly against abortion and I believe every baby deserves a chance to have a good life even if they were an "accident". While it would be really hard, I would choose to give the baby up for adoption. Going along with my previous statement, adoption could give the baby a great life that as of right now I would not be able to support a child because I can barely supporter myself on my own.
In relation to the class, becoming pregnant at this time in my life would be an extremely difficult situation. And making a choice would require the consideration of many factors, such as family life and financials and relationships statuses. I guess I would never really know unless I were in the situation.
Great thoughtful topic and great article to go along with it.