Adoption Vs. Abortion

We take a look at the age old adoption vs. abortion debate in detail, talking about why each option may be good or bad for you and what factors may affect your decision. We will try to stay subjective, and hopefully help you come to a decision that is best for you.

Adoption versus abortion is a common debate that mothers have when unplanned pregnancies come up. On the one side, giving birth and putting up the child for abortion the child is getting a life and a family to live with. However, this may not always happen, and adoptions may not always result in happy families.

On the other hand, abortion will take away this possibility at a life completely, but it will also make sure that the mother will not have to face a situation where she regretted her decision to give birth later on. 

Sometimes the thought of looking after a child full-time makes parents panic if they feel they are not ready to become parents. In some cases, the biological parents don’t want to give up their child, but they have to, as they may not be financially capable enough. In such cases, it is best that these parents put up their child for adoption. 

Some people view adoption as a kinder deed than abortion. On the other hand, some even consider abortion unethical. In this article, we will explore abortion and adoption in detail so you can have more insights into both these terms. 

What is Adoption And How Much Effort Will You Have To Make For Putting Your Child Up For It?

Adoption is a process in which the birth parents gives up their legal rights and claims from their child. There can be many reasons parents may have to put up their child for adoption. Some parents willingly put up their children for adoption, but some people have to do so because of circumstances such as an unintended pregnancy. 

Even a single adult can adopt a child and start their own family. The child then goes through an adoption agency where adoptive parents seek to keep the children permanently. The legal rights and claims of the children go to the adoptive parents. 

Adoption is a great way for gay couples to start their family. Both the parents share the claims and authorities of the child. If a team is looking for adoption, in that case, the adoption is joint. 

You might also like to read: Legal Guardianship Vs. Adoption

Understanding the Effort Involved in Adoption

The adoption process of each country is different. In some countries, it can be pretty elaborate and in others, it may be relatively straightforward. Let’s take a look at the adoption process here in the US. 

Starting The Process

The first part of the adoption process is to connect with the authorities. As a pregnant woman that is about to give birth and doesn’t want to keep the child, you need to communicate with an adoption agency. 

You can also connect with an adoption attorney, who will help you find an ideal adoption agency and look after all the paperwork. You will need someone to guide you through the adoption process along with the right resources. The adoption agency will start working to find the right adoptive parents for your child. 

Doing The Legal Work For Adoption

The next step is to seek support from these adoption agencies and advisors. Since you are pregnant, it is easy to have someone represent you in court and do all the paperwork for you. 

The adoption attorney will be your point of contact during the whole adoption process. Pregnancy also sees a massive influx of emotions. Having someone in a similar position can act as positive emotional support. They can also connect you with a mentor or guide who will help you have a healthy pregnancy. 

Choosing The Adoptive Family

The next step is to start filtering out the adoptive parents. You can examine and analyze all the profiles of the applicants. Once you shortlist some profiles, the adoption agency will connect them to you. 

You can even arrange a get-together with them and try to explain to them your demands and requirements. After meeting with all the potential candidates, it is up to you to select the one with the most potential. 

Creating an Adoption Plan

The last step in the entire adoption process is creating a birth plan for the child. An adoption plan for the child is ideal, as everyone knows what to expect. The hospital is ready for you, the adoptive parents are prepared, and your family is ready for you to give birth. 

You might also like to read: Adopting Vs. Having Your Own Child – Pros And Cons

Why Choose Adoption? 

From the perspective of a pregnant woman giving up their child for adoption, there are a lot of pros to adoption. Some of these benefits are:-

• Adoption is not a simple thing to go through, but it will at least give your child a chance to grow and live. The child lives. In the case of abortion, they would not. 
• Your child gets to live with a family capable of looking after him or her. 
• Adoption gives couples that are infertile to start their family. It is also helpful for single adults that don’t want a partner but want a child to begin their family. 

Why Adoption May Not Be a Good Idea?

Some of the cons of adoption are:-

• The child can suffer an identity crisis when he or she finds out they are adopted. For a child, adoption can be emotionally traumatic. 
• Adoption can be a long process that stretches out over two months. For pregnant women, sometimes it gets too emotional to let go of their child after giving birth. Sometimes the adoption process is also frustrating and annoying. 

• The pregnant woman will have to go through the pregnancy and the body changes that accompany it. If they had gone for an abortion, then this would not be the case. 
• At some later point in life, you may feel regret having given up the baby for adoption and want to meet them. But if you have chosen for a closed adoption, it cannot be done.

Understanding The Abortion Process

Abortion refers to the process of removing the child from the fetus or the embryo before it can survive outside of the uterus. In simple terms, abortion can also be called the termination of a pregnancy. Pregnant women go through abortions mainly during the earlier stages of pregnancy. They should go through with abortion during the first trimester. 

Abortion is a medical treatment, and the pregnant woman has to undergo surgery, where the doctor removes the unborn child from the belly of the mother. The process for abortion is as follows:-

• You need to identify whether abortion is the best decision for you or not. If you feel it is, then you should proceed with the procedure. 
• You must find a clinic and medical expert you can trust to carry out your abortion surgery. 
• After that, you will need to go through a complete medical examination. This medical examination will help the doctor to give full details about your medical condition. 
• At this stage, you can start taking medical abortion pills. These pills will stop the production of hormones that support pregnancy. 
• Then you can take the second dose of the medicine or go through the surgery to complete your abortion. 

Why Go For Abortion?

• It is the safest option to save the mother’s life in case of a medical emergency. In most cases, the body terminates the pregnancy if it can cause any threat to the mother. 
• If you are not able to give birth to a child, you can go for an abortion. If the pregnancy results from assault or rape, then going for an abortion is the best way for you to move forward. 
• If the child has a severe condition, then you can also go for an abortion. 

Why Some People Do Not Condone Abortion?

The cons of abortion are:-

• Some people view abortion as unethical as it takes a child’s life. Abortion can also put a person at risk of not being able to get pregnant in the future. 
• In some cases, abortion can be the cause of some severe health problems. Going through the abortion surgery can take a toll on the body of a pregnant woman. 
• Any pregnant women also regret later after going through with an abortion. This guilt and regret of abortion can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression. 

You might also like to read: What Is Open Adoption?

Factors That May Influence Your Decision for Adoption or Abortion

Yes, it is true that other factors also play an essential role when making important decisions, such as going for adoption or abortion. Some of the major factors that can influence your decision are:-

• Media:- People try to emulate what they see in popular media. Some books and tv shows show abortion as minor surgery, whereas truthfully, it is not. Popular media shows people deciding between adoption or abortion on a whim, whereas these decisions should be made after careful thinking. 
• Family and Friends:- Everyone is very close to their family, friends, or both. Family and friends do have the power to mold our decisions. It can be seen that people often also decide what the majority of their family has to say. 
• The Baby’s Father:- If the baby’s father is supportive, then it is more likely for a pregnant woman to go for adoption. On the flip side, if they are unsupportive, then it is more likely that the baby’s mother will go for an abortion. 

Adoption Vs. Abortion Which Is The Right Option For You?

Women can have various reasons for considering going for either adoption or abortion. Sometimes people may consider adopting as giving the baby up, which is not true as the child is more likely to get a better future and opportunities when the birth mother is unable to financially look out for their child. Then also, women can consider going for either adoption or abortion. 

The right option for a person is subjective here; each person is at a different stage in life and has additional requirements. If a mother feels that they are ready to give birth to a child and then give him or her up so they can get a better lifestyle, then she should go for adoption rather than abortion. 

There are no particular steps for choosing between abortion and adoption, and you must do what you think is the best option. There are also several cases of adoption by single adults or parents, and these people adopt children as they want to start their own families. 

Suppose you suffer from some physical condition that makes your body weak. If you feel that your body will not be able to go through with the pregnancy, you should go for an abortion. If the pregnancy is unwanted or results from rape, sexual assault, or incest, then it is the best scenario to go for an abortion. 

You might also like to read: How To Find A Child Given Up For Adoption?

Some Facts and Statistics on Abortion

• During 2019-2020, there were about 354,871 abortions done by the medical services.
• It is legal to abort a child in all 50 states of America. 
• On average, the cost of an abortion can be around $1000, but this cost also depends on the stage of pregnancy for the woman. 
• Eight hundred eight clinics in America performed abortions in 2017.

Some Facts and Statistics on Adoption 

Some interesting facts regarding adoption are as follows:-

• About 95% of the adoptions are open or semi-open adoptions. 
• Mothers also take more part in selecting the parents for their birth child. 
• For prospective parents, adoption is free in America. There is no fee for adoption that you have to pay to the adoption agencies. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Wrap Up

This article looks to solve the problem between abortion and adoption. Both abortion and adoption are different from each other, and they are more like opposites to each other. People believe adoption is a better thing to do than abortion. 

Even if you cannot look after the child and look for abortion, you should give birth and put the child up for adoption. We hope this article gives you a perspective on things, and helps you come to the best decision for yourself.