We Rieck tells us in the headline that “Adoption Is Not a Substitute for Abortion.” Let’s take a moment to see why Rieck, a “transracial adoptee who grew up in Indiana,” feels the way he does.
First, the headline is misleading; authors often do not write them. Rather, more accurately, “adoption is not an alternative to abortion and childbirth. Carrying a baby to term is a big deal.”
Agreed. This is a big deal but what comes next?
Rieck seems to believe that because so few women give up their children, that is an argument for abortion. Nope. If abortion was not a first resort, adoption would be more prevalent.
Why is adoption often a “last resort”?
According to a 2015 study by [Sociologist Gretchen] Sisson, most women who give up their babies prefer the parent. Adoption is a last resort. But unemployment, low-paying jobs, lack of parental support and lack of health insurance contributed to their feeling that this was their only option.
These are some of the same reasons women seek abortions.
Exactly. But these no equivalent Life and death are not interchangeable categories. This is one (of many, many) reasons why pregnancy help centers are so important.
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Rieck reinforced his conclusion by writing “Birth mothers who gave their babies up for adoption reported prolonged feelings of grief, anxiety and depression. Some had suicidal thoughts. .’I haven’t gotten over it,’ wrote a woman who gave up her son 20 years ago.
No one, certainly not me, would say that giving up a child is an easy decision. What we can say, however, is that if a woman feels unable to care for her child, letting someone else raise them is an infinitely better solution than abortion.
Rieck begins his essay with someone telling him “Aren’t you happy that your mother chose you to be born for adoption?” and ends his essay with “When people ask if I’m grateful to be adopted, the simple answer is yes.”
But, as you might suspect, he immediately qualified that: “But there’s no guarantee that my birth mother would have had access to a safe abortion or had the power to make a decision without finances. Twenty-three years later, I want women to have more choices, not less.”
No pro-lifer would pretend that pregnant women won’t face hard times financially. What I can say is that there are many couples who are waiting to adopt a child and help him in other ways.
Isn’t adoption a more loving, more caring, more motherly option for you and your child than abortion?
