Advertisements Promoting Adoption for Teens? What do you think?

Oceans · #1 03-11-2008, 09:28 AM

The article below was posted elsewhere and I have to say I am torn….I would love to hear opinions on this. Also, let me say, I think this is directed at teens but maybe not. My personal concerns always seem to fall to that group however because it is my experience…

On the one hand I worry that in promoting adoption as the way to be a good mother may not be appropriate. IMO anyone can chose to be a good parent. I also worry that it feeds the stereotype that all children of adoption are born to poverty stricken, drug addicted, irresponsible teenagers who (for once) made a good decision and chose adoption. (That may be a leap considering the girls are always pretty, well dressed, model types).

Then again…. I look at the statistics for teenage pregnancy and adoption and they are less than encouraging. Now I agree that stats don’t speak to the individual experience however, they do identify trends and, IMO, the odds are not good for young teens that choose to parent. Nor are they stellar for their children.

Nationally, in 2005, apprx 40 per 1000 teenagers gave birth (that’s 1 in 25). Startling! Somewhere between 1-2% choose adoption.

So what do you think? Is it time for a full-on National Campaign promoting adoption? Should our government get involved or just keep it’s focus on prevention?

Quote:

Movies open door for adoption advocates
By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY

The popularity of Juno and Bella, movies about young, unmarried, pregnant women, has given the National Council for Adoption an opening.

The private advocacy group is launching a public service advertising campaign this week that includes radio and TV spots as well as billboards, all with this tagline: "Sometimes choosing adoption is being a good mother."

"We see (the movies) as an opportunity to promote adoption awareness," says the group's president, Thomas Atwood. He says the award-winning films, both of them about women who consider adoption for their babies, have given the issue visibility.

The ads are part of a larger government and private effort to reverse the decrease in the number of single women who place infants for adoption.

Fewer than 1% of unmarried pregnant women relinquished their infants for adoption in 2002, the most recent year for which data are available, says Paul Placek, a consultant to the council. That compares with 8.7% before 1973, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Placek says more women have kept their babies as the stigma of single motherhood has eased. Some of them have abortions, although the abortion rate has declined, too.

In 2000, Congress approved a program to promote infant adoption. The Department of Health and Human Services awards grants to organizations, including the adoption council, to train pregnancy counselors at federally funded clinics to present adoption as an option. The grants also have paid for public service ads.

(More here: Movies open door for adoption advocates - USATODAY.com)

Rifilanna · #2 03-11-2008, 12:06 PM

I think private family discussion, informed support and counselling from a social worker would be the more humane and effective way to go. Why is the goverment intrested in more babies availbable for adoption, that makes no sense. Interested in preventing accidenl teen pregnancies, interested in childcare education and child safty, interesed in protecting educational opportunies for young mothers, these make sense. But more babies for adoption, whose interest does that serve? Does the goverment have an issue with single women parenting, or does it just need more available babies?

**thanksgivingmom** · #3 03-11-2008, 12:11 PM

I'm so torn - on the one hand I don't think we should advertise adoption as hands down, the best option go for it - but I wish there was a way to get more information out about how to handle adoptions ETHICALLY without it being part of an advertisement FOR adoption. Does that make sense?

So if a teenager decides on adoption - like really truly decides it's the best thing - that there was a mass way to get information about upholding good ethics.

We know that a lot of agencies can't be relied on for this, even lawyers can't be, and private family discussion wouldn't even cover all adoption ethics issues - heck, I didn't even know what most of the issues would be when I placed as a 24 year old Grad Student! How are teens or other young adults supposed to fight for fairness without some kind of a template?

ugh, I just don't know....

Oceans · #4 03-11-2008, 02:26 PM

I think the government is concerned for two reasons. Primarily, the financial cost of teenage parents to tax payers is well, very, very, very high. I know, we waste money elsewhere, we shouldn’t scrimp here but I think that's the main goal.

The other side of it is that many of the children of teenage parents end up in Foster Care in their first 5 years for a variety of reasons. Not to mention the very high rate of teenage pregnancies amongst their daughters... It really is perpetuating.

I posted some statistics to my blog of anyone's interested: Road To Reunion and Other Stuff

Something needs to be done for teens (and their children) but I don't know what that something is - and I'm not sure it's a fincial solution.... It's hard to deny that many teenage mothers should have looked at adoption a little bit harder when their children have suffered greatly for their choice - for clarity, I mean foster care due to abuse and neglect.

BTW: I know many Teens do a fabulous job at parenting. I am pro-parenting (and pro-adoption). I'm just not sure how I feel about advertising.

I worry about the ethics too!! I wish we could standardize it across the board - I think teens are the most susceptible to coercion... That said, since so few place, so maybe not???

belleinblue1978 · #5 03-11-2008, 02:30 PM

Simple fact the government wants to spend less money on aid.

Then you have the moral right or whatever they call themselves, enough said. Single women who are out having promiscuous sex aren't meant to be parents, don't you know? But the men that get us pregnant are absolved because they are just sowing their wild oats. Forget that it probably wasn't promiscuous sex and that alot of us thought we had good, stable relationships.

Stereotypes are hard to break, but alot of us do it everyday and need to keep doing it.

***crick*** · #6 03-11-2008, 02:33 PM

"The ads are part of a larger government and private effort to reverse the decrease in the number of single women who place infants for adoption"

This really bugs me. It's not referring to teens or even women in general who feel they cannot parent, but any unmarried woman. That's discrimination, imo, and it's also a message of "We need more babies!"

It bugs me that their approach is to target any single woman and to me "woman" means 18 and over, not teens or they would have stated teens? Yes, there's a decrease and they should be HAPPY about a decrease because it means women are empowered to raise their children, earn a living and do all the things they want to do. It means they have that CHOICE. If a single woman wants to parent her child....you go girl! WTH??

If they want to make adoption more of a known option for teens to consider, then I might have a different opinion (depending on the factors and how it's done)

I'm all for adoption awareness done ethically and I do believe it's important to show ALL options to those inquiring. This just leaves a bad taste in my mouth though. It might be how the article is written and we don't have the full intent, but as written..I don't care for it.

**thanksgivingmom** · #7 03-11-2008, 02:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crick

"The ads are part of a larger government and private effort to reverse the decrease in the number of single women who place infants for adoption"

This really bugs me. It's not referring to teens or even women in general who feel they cannot parent, but any unmarried woman. That's discrimination, imo, and it's also a message of "We need more babies!"

It bugs me that their approach is to target any single woman and to me "woman" means 18 and over, not teens or they would have stated teens? Yes, there's a decrease and they should be HAPPY about a decrease because it means women are empowered to raise their children, earn a living and do all the things they want to do. It means they have that CHOICE. If a single woman wants to parent her child....you go girl! WTH??

If they want to make adoption more of a known option for teens to consider, then I might have a different opinion (depending on the factors and how it's done)

I'm all for adoption awareness done ethically and I do believe it's important to show ALL options to those inquiring. This just leaves a bad taste in my mouth though. It might be how the article is written and we don't have the full intent, but as written..I don't care for it.

I'm with you 100% Crick!

I think you're saying what my jumbled mind couldn't figure out this morning. Education is one thing (of course depending on how it's done) but promoting adoption by arguing that parenting your child is failing your child is disgusting.

(I've done much more looking into this since my first post)

bromanchik · #8 03-11-2008, 03:51 PM

All I can say is BLECH! Especially considering who is behind it. (The NCFA who is funded by adoption agencies)

RavenSong · #9 03-11-2008, 06:12 PM

My reaction is UGHHHH. I can't stand the NCFA or their agenda.

I saw an ad promoting adoption on television the other night that blew my mind. I don't think I've ever seen one before. It was tastefully done, and sponsored by LDS Family Services. It shows a very pretty, young woman who wants the very best for her baby, i.e., a two-parent home. It then shows her making her adoption decision and going to a group-counseling session with other birthmothers. They all welcome her with open arms and great big smiles. I was left with a very disconcerted feeling...

keds · #10 03-11-2008, 07:42 PM

Isn't it hard enough for a young couple to find themselves with an unexpected pregnancy without "5th Avenue" jumping on them with ads for or against adoption?

I wouldn't have a hard time with this if it didn't smack of "drink the Koolaid" and all will be fine. Sorry, I'm very skeptical of anything any government is advertising - my experience is everything is "filtered" for our protection, or maybe not so much. There are hidden agendas behind most ads, and those by any agency has to have "something" in it for someone other than those it is geared to attract. Just an observation and my opinion from my experience.

quantum · #11 03-12-2008, 12:40 AM

As many of you know, I live in Sweden.
In Sweden the parents get 450 days of PAID parental leave, paid by the government based on the wages that you made before you had the baby (there is a minimum amount if you didn't work before).
In Sweden(like in England), the parents get a certain amount of money every month in child benefit.
In Sweden higher education is free. It's relatively easy to get low interest loans for living and other expenses while you're studying.
In Sweden a single mother can get a lot of financial help in paying for the already relatively inexpensive daycare.

In Sweden there are about 5 babies a year (in the entire country!!) that are domestically adopted. I don't know how many of them are taken from the mothers because of inability to take care of them.

My point is that with government help, with some financial stability! With an acceptance of single mothers, adoption is not even an option discussed here. I don't know the rates on abortion, I'm afraid they are rather high, but still...
So it makes me feel a bit ill when adoption is pushed as the 'preferable' option. kwim? That's how it was presented to me. 'Oh you're pregnant you silly girl, you don't want to ruin your life, why don't you give your baby up for adoption?'

BTW there are a lot of adopted children here, they just are from other countries.

***crick*** · #12 03-12-2008, 08:44 AM

I think there are improvements needed to US's gov. policies regarding many things, including this aspect of helping citizens out when faced with crisis(job, food, housing, day care etc) However, I also don't think the answer is to completely provide for things either. I do believe strongly that everyone needs to provide for themselves and not depend on hand outs. There are always circumstances of course...

I'd rather see more emphasis on preventing pregnancy and unsafe sex/sex in general towards the teen audience. I just saw on the Today show that 1 in 4 teens have had an STD. THAT is terrifying to me!!

As for the single woman over age 18, they should not be lumped into the teen category and not made to feel like they can't provide for their child simply because they are not married. Obviously there are many factors that play into their decisions (finances, support, choice etc) but they shouldn't be targeted simply because they are single.

josh1788smom · #13 03-12-2008, 09:26 AM

UGH!!!!!

I think they need to add to their tagline - "and sometimes it's not." How very one-sided to leave a blanket statement out there like that.

Why is it that adoption is always portrayed by pretty, young, model-like girls with happiness and acceptance abounding. Where is the ad with the teenage child in his/her room shouting at the ceiling, pillow, whatever asking the never-answered question "why didn't you want me?????" The adoption industry seems to NEED to place all focus on single mothers and babies.

So just for kicks - you are a happily married 21 year old. You and your husband just have a new baby. You and your husband are working and going to school, but neither cares because this was your plan for your life. You are blistfully HAPPY. Your husband is tragically killed. Who is coming to tell you someone else is a better mother for your child????????? Everyone has a story and it's not always as simple as face value.

Blanket thoughts and statements should not be allowed to be perpetuated through our Government or any single agency.

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