In 2001, approximately 127,000 babies were placed for adoption in the United States, according to the Child Welfare Information Gateway. The reasons that women give for choosing to give their babies up for adoption, as opposed to having an abortion or electing to raise the child, vary by circumstance. In most cases, placing a baby for adoption is an act of love, and the birth mother wants the best possible life for her child.
Age of the Mother
Some women who become pregnant as teenagers feel that they are unable to care for a child properly. They may not have any help or support, or may have dreams for their future that would be impossible or difficult to achieve if they are raising a child.
In some cases, according to Karen Moriarty, author of "Baby Richard: A Four-Year-Old Comes Home," middle-aged women place their babies for adoption because they are surprised with an unexpected and unwanted pregnancy.
Marital Status
While it is less common now than it was years ago, according to Karen Moriarty, some women place their babies for adoption when they become pregnant outside of marriage. There is not as much of a societal stigma against single mothers as there was in the middle of the 20th century, but raising a child as a single parent is difficult in the best circumstances.
Personal Circumstances
Many birth mothers place their babies for adoption because they lack the financial resources to care for the child. They often believe that the baby will have a better life if adopted by a stable family with enough money to care for him. Other personal circumstances that may lead a mother to give her child up for adoption include becoming pregnant as the result as an extramarital affair or from a rape. Some birth mothers are mentally or emotionally disabled, and can not handle raising a baby. In other cases, the baby is disabled in some way, and the birth parents choose not to raise the child.
Cultural Reasons
In some cultures and countries, a child of one sex or another is preferred, and children of the other sex may be placed for adoption. In some areas of China, for example, according to The Adoption Institute, many mothers choose to place their daughters for adoption, because they are only allowed by law to have one child, and prefer to have a boy. In some countries, raising a child as a single mother is considered unacceptable, so these mothers may feel that they have no choice but to place their babies for adoption.
