Are you torn about how to handle your unexpected pregnancy? It’s a big decision, and we know it’s difficult to make. Both adoption and abortion can involve loss and grief, but placing your child for adoption allows you to watch them grow and be a part of their life. Take a closer look at how making an adoption plan could be the best answer for you.
Why Would I Choose Adoption?
The adoption process is very different from a couple of decades ago. Today, the birth mother makes all the decisions. She selects the potential adoptive couple, the type of adoption plan, and the future she wants to give her child.
Most adoptions today are either open or semi-open. With both adoption plans, an expectant woman or birth mother reviews bios of prospective adoptive couples. She chooses based on her expectations for her child.
Does she want her child to have immediate siblings? Is she wanting them to live in the country or a big city? What about things like hobbies, religion, or pets?
Is it Possible to Be Happy With Adoption?
Studies have shown that an open adoption is best for everyone. The birth mother has the satisfaction of knowing her child is happy, healthy, and loved. She can build a relationship with them and their adoptive family.
Open adoption gives her child better self-esteem, a sense of identity, and a connection to their biological family. Openness is also beneficial for the adoptive family because it helps them to understand their child better.
Does Abortion Cause Depression?
A study published in the National Library of Medicine compared the relationship between abortion and a woman’s mental health. The following are three things they discovered:
- Abortion is consistently associated with elevated rates of mental illness compared to women without a history of abortion.
- The abortion experience directly contributes to mental health problems for at least some women.
- Risk factors, such as pre-existing mental illness, identify women at greatest risk of mental health problems after an abortion.
The rate of depression because of abortion is hard to measure. There are many different circumstances to consider. Is the woman being forced to abort? How far along is she in her pregnancy? Has she struggled with anxiety and depression in the past?
Is it Possible to be Happy With Abortion?
No research has found that abortion is associated with a better mental health outcome. Many women report feeling relief immediately following their abortions, but grief, shame, and sadness can appear within weeks, months, or even years after.
What Should I Choose?
Only you can decide what is best for your future. We never benefit from any decision you make.
Before you choose, we encourage you to come to Sumter Pregnancy Center for no-cost pregnancy services. Although we do not provide or refer for abortion, we promise you will receive accurate information about abortion procedures, side effects, and potential risks.
We do not handle adoptions at Sumter Pregnancy Center, but we can offer referrals to reputable agencies.
Schedule a free and confidential appointment today. We’re here to help you make an empowered decision.