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In
a world in which waiting lists to adopt a child are long and many
pregnant women believe abortion is their only option, adoption may seem
like an obvious solution. While adoption is a loving, generous way for a
child to be welcomed into a family, it can also be a complex reality
for those involved—including parents placing their child for adoption,
couples waiting to be matched with a child, children who are waiting to
be or have already been adopted, and many others.
For
example, a pregnant woman in crisis often sees adoption as worse than
either raising or aborting her unexpected baby, and “studies suggest
that in pitting adoption against abortion, adoption will be the
hands-down loser.”1 Placing
a child for adoption tends to be “perceived as a kind of double death”
by the mother—what she perceives as a “death” of self by carrying the
baby to term and the “death” of her child through what she perceives as
abandonment.2
A
pregnant woman contemplating abortion generally needs to first believe
that she can carry her baby to term before she is able to consider the
different options of whether to raise or place her child for adoption.
So, it is important for those who want to support her in choosing life
to first remind her of “her own goodness and capacity for love”3 and to encourage her that she can carry her baby to term.
Helpful tips for supporting a woman who is considering adoption can be found at respectlife.org/mothers-considering-adoption.
1. Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap. “Homily, Opening Mass, 2013 National Prayer Vigil for Life.”
2. Ibid.
3. Sisters of Life, Maternity is Forever: Adoption (https://intolifeseries.com/watch/9-maternity-is-forever-adoption/).
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