[susieloo]

dvalentine...I'm with agatha..again. Try at all costs to parent your child. The reason I am on these forums 30yrs later is because it does my head in still.
Scarlet moon also has an extremely important point. I did NOT relinquish as an alternative to abortion.
Susie

[bromanchik]

Ditto here. Abortion was never an option.

[Hadley2]

"People who get abortions would get one no matter what."

What does that even mean? Pretty judgmental, and IMO, ignorant of what other women go through. Besides, having gone through this decision with friends and relatives (not, thankfully, myself), I can tell you that it certainly is NOT true. Sorry, but abortion is an option along with parenting and placement. It may be one some people would rather not consider, but it is there. The divide may not be so great as some think, either; I know people who have had abortions who believe that for them, after considering the options, placement would have been a selfish roll of the dice with an innocent's life.... The world is not one size fits all, so please don't judge others unless you want them judging you.

[agathaj]

Back to the movie and today I saw evidence of what I believe will come ffrom this movie. I believe that adoption could take a step back 20 plus years with a new bunch of teens and 20 somethings thinking that it's an easy solution to an unplanned pregnancy - heck I thought that! A woman at my work in her 20s was telling me and a woman in her 50s about the movie (she didn't know I had seen it nor does she know I am a bmother) and she raved on about how sweet it was and how sweet Juno was and how funny and she said 'oh she gave the baby up for adoption and everything worked out fine in the end'. I said nothing as I like living in the adoption closet. The older woman also said nothing but had this look on her face like she didn't believe it would have been alright in the end. The subject was quickly changed (by me I'd heard enough)...So now these young people are going to think adoption and even closed adoption is no big deal!!!!

[susieloo]

and then as my mind wanders...why was it better for the baby to go to a single, neurotic control freak of a woman? I know who I would chose as my mum...Juno!
Susie

[SchmennaLeigh]

In Jennifer Garner's Oscar nod, Entertainment Weekly used the phrase "she deserved that baby."

Just further proof that this movie is not doing the adoption world any service at all. The general public had their views about birth vs. adoptive mothers and who "deserves" what cemented by this flick.

Thrilling.

[agathaj]

Oh Jenna...that makes me even more sad....

[agathaj]

I'm bumping this to see what other people think...

[JillnChris]

I know that I do not have a bithmom's perspective but I can tell you that as a social worker I often would not get through the day if I could not find the humor in things that ARE NOT FUNNY. It seems cruel sometimes to laugh at someone else's demented life but it doesn' t mean that I don't care just the oposite I care too much so I have to find a way to laugh about it just to stay sane.
I did enjoy the movie maybe because I have that kind of sarcastic sense of humor. I think that it was tremendously hard for Juno to make the decision that she did. And of course "hollywood" could never really give an accurate portrayal of the heart wrenching decision of adoption. But I believe you just have to take the movie for what it's worth. I have never agreed with or related to "everything" in any movie. I think that this movie was very thought provoking and that is what I think is important.

[susieloo]

I laughed in places too. Thought the script was funny and very clever . It was more the message the movie carried," Happily ever after," that got up my nose.
susie

[mariarippy]

I enjoyed Juno. I thought Ellen Page did an excellent job in this movie really brought life to the character. It feels worth my time and money to see.

[agathaj]

susie I agree...like Juno and boyfriend could truly wwalk away, with only a few tears...back to singing on the steps. Ahhh....I wish that had happened to me...

[susieloo]

I was niave enough to think it could happen like that!!I was told i could. What blows me away is how people who had had children could begin to even think we could. MY PARENTS as a starter!!!Arghhhhh!
Susie

[bromanchik]

What I find interesting about all the discussions I have heard about Juno is that adoptive parents seem to love it across the board. Most see it as entirely realistic. The first parents, on the other hand... even the one's that like it do not see it as realistic. These differences interest me.

[agathaj]

I ead a thread on the APs board and they were relating to the PAmother and the things she did and they were laughing about how she wanted her house to look perfect when Juno came around etc. I could understand that but yes, I imagine every AP would like to think that a Bmother is not gong to be crippled emotionally by her decision. I wish that was the reality too...Perhaps they think..welll it was Juno's decision to do this so it must be OK and she must be able to live with it and get on with her life. I think most of us thought it would be OK and we could handle it...DAH!