Choosing between Abortion or Adoption: Important Facts to Know as a Pregnant Woman
If you’ve just discovered you are pregnant, you may be feeling afraid, overwhelmed, ashamed, or alone. Facing an unplanned pregnancy can be an incredibly stressful thing for any one, and it’s an experience that is much more common than you’d think, and can happen to anyone. At Adoption Choices of Colorado, we will not shame or coerce you, but rather support you with the education and care you need to make an informed decision about what’s going to be best for you in response to this difficult situation.
Many women choose abortion when they discover they are pregnant. There can be many reasons for this, but abortion allows you to not carry your pregnancy to term; thus, remaining confidential and having an easy alternative to raising a child. However, adoption is often overlooked as even an option for most women facing unplanned pregnancies in Colorado.
Here are some facts worth knowing before choosing between abortion or adoption.
1. There may be Health Risks associated with Giving Birth
It’s important to know the personal health risks to you when choosing between abortion or adoption. Some women may be unable to safely carry a pregnancy, so an abortion can be medically necessary to preserve her health and life.
To know whether you would be able to carry a baby to term without any detrimental effects to your own health, it is best to seek out your OBGYN. Make an appointment to evaluate your health and determine whether adoption would be a safe option for you. We support every woman in taking care of their bodies and health and want you to feel confident that you are doing what’s best for you and your baby, whether your reasons are health related or otherwise.
2. Both Abortion and Adoption can Provide Confidentiality
You might think that abortion is the best choice because it allows you to remain completely confidential throughout the process. While this is certainly true, adoption can also be a confidential process. It may be more difficult to hide a pregnancy when it comes to your social circles, but our team of adoption professionals is here to talk with you about your concerns and explain the ways we take your privacy seriously as a birth mother.
There are three different types of adoption for you to choose from: open, semi-open and closed. If confidentiality or anonymity is important to you, your adoption caseworker can discuss the privacy that a closed adoption provides.
3. Modern Adoptions are Birth Mother Led
You may have images of adoptions from the media where mothers have to “give up” their babies at the last minute or outdated stories of how the adoption process looks. Yet, most birth mothers in today’s world are deeply involved in the adoption process. They have control over their adoption journey, get to choose their child’s adoptive parents and determine how involved they want to be in the process overall.
It is pretty typical for birth mothers to also determine how their hospital experience will go. All of this information gets compiled into an adoption plan, which helps her adoption journey go smoothly and successfully.
4. Choosing between Adoption or Abortion may have Emotional Impacts
Most women who have abortions do not regret there decisions; however, intense feelings are common throughout the process and in the aftermath. These feelings are totally natural and not a sign that abortion isn’t the best choice for you.
It is also true that adoption may create a lot of intense emotions. It is common for birth mothers to need extra support to grieve after placing their child. While this is all very common and natural, many birth mothers also experience a lot of joy and gratitude for the opportunity to be a loving adult in their child’s life long term even though they did not want to raise a child themselves. Open adoptions can be really fulfilling and joyful experiences for birth mothers and a way to transform an unplanned pregnancy into a beautiful thing.
Abortion or Adoption: Making a Decision as a Birth Mother
Our adoption agency offers free, confidential counseling services to birth mothers, and you are not required to know that adoption is the choice for you to utilize this service. Our adoption counselors are trained professionals who’ve worked with countless individuals in the exact same situation. Their compassion, insight and nonjudgmental viewpoint can help you talk through difficult thoughts and feelings and be a sound board for decision making.
There are many other factors to consider and think about when making a decision that will impact you so directly. Please know that Adoption Choices of Colorado supports you fully in your choices and is here to be an active ally in your decision making process!
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Meet the Author: Kara Bringewatt is an English major and psychology minor at Queens University of Charlotte. She plans to get her masters in social work and work at a nonprofit as a case manager for at-risk youth. She loves using writing as a means of creating community and bringing attention to causes she’s passionate about.
Kara is particularly interested in educational and mental health interventions for young people in foster care. She’s worked as a tutor, professional caregiver, preschool teacher and acting instructor, and loves being able to utilize her wide range of passions to support young people and plans on being a foster and adoptive parent.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!