A woman facing an unplanned pregnancy may be familiar with the foster care system…which can make it difficult for her to see adoption as the beautiful and loving option that it is.
The Foster Care System is NOT the same as Domestic Infant Adoption
Over the years, we have found that when we start to talk about adoption (especially in the city) many times people think of the foster care system because that is all they know about adoption. Be aware that a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy may have first-hand experience with the foster care system or be familiar with the challenges families and children face that are in the foster care system. This can make it difficult for her to see adoption as the beautiful option that is. As a result, it is very important to understand and share the distinction that the foster care system is not the same as domestic infant adoption. These processes are very different.
The Foster Care System and Adoption
Many children in foster care are there because there is some condition in the home of their biological families that makes it unsafe or unhealthy for the child to be there. The condition could be abuse, drugs, incarceration or other reasons that make it difficult for biological parents to care for their children themselves. In these situations, children are removed from their biological families and stay with foster families. The priority in foster care is to reunite children with their biological families if the unsafe or unhealthy conditions can be resolved. If the unsafe or unhealthy conditions are resolved, then children in foster care are reunited with their biological families. If the conditions cannot be resolved, that is when a child that is in the foster care system can at some point become available to be adopted by another family. This is why children can be in the foster care system for years and may be older children when they are looking for forever families through adoption.
Domestic Infant Adoption
Domestic Infant Adoption, on the other hand, is very different. In this situation, the birth mother, the woman that is pregnant, is the one that is consciously making this choice for her child. She is the one that is making the decision to make an adoption plan for her child. An adoption plan is not imposed upon her, it is a decision that she makes of her own free will (with the consent of her child’s birth father) for the benefit of her unborn child and her current circumstances. Most of the time, birth mothers make this decision before their baby is born. With this type of adoption plan, babies join their adoptive families as newborns or infants. Making an adoption plan is a brave, empowered choice for a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy.