Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
The Atlantic

Why So Many Women Choose Abortion Over Adoption

Some American women see giving up their babies as more emotionally painful than terminating their pregnancies.
Source: Alexander Demianchuk / Reuters

Along the highways of states where support for abortion is at its lowest, it’s not uncommon to see road signs that say choose adoption and similar messages. The signs capture a preferred anti-abortion retort to outcries over abortion restrictions, like the kind Georgia and Alabama just passed: Women with unwanted pregnancies should find adoptive families.

Adoption is a choice that certain women who don’t wish to keep their babies enter into happily. Some women find abortion to be anathema and rule it out among their options for an unwanted pregnancy. And for women considering abortion who ultimately settle on adoption, the process often benefits everyone involved.

Of course, adoption is not a reasonable option for all pregnant women. Some girls and women would imperil their health if they carried a baby to term. Many pro-abortion-rights people believe it is immoral to compel a woman to carry a pregnancy she does not want, especially if that pregnancy is than childbirth.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Atlantic

The Atlantic8 min read
What’s With All the Trumpy VCs?
The venture capitalist Shaun Maguire is a particularly prolific poster. And lately, his takes have become almost unavoidable. Maguire manages Sequoia Capital’s stake in Elon Musk’s various companies, including the social network formerly known as Twi
The Atlantic4 min read
This Election Is Different
When I was a young boy, my father adorned the back of our Dodge Coronet 440 station wagon with bumper stickers. Proud to Be An American, one read, a manifestation of a simple truth: Both of my parents deeply loved America, and they transmitted that l
The Atlantic
Should I Break Up With My Trump-Loving Partner?
Editor’s Note: Every Tuesday, James Parker tackles a reader’s existential worry. He wants to hear about what’s ailing, torturing, or nagging you. Submit your lifelong or in-the-moment problems to dearjames@theatlantic.com. Don’t want to miss a singl

Related Books & Audiobooks