While adoption may not be for everyone, it is important that accurate, reliable information be explored. Less than 2% of unplanned pregnancies result in an adoption plan largely owing to:
Social acceptance of single parenthood;
Lack of accurate information on adoption in schools, health clinics and family planning settings; and
The social bias against adoption, which presumes that family ties formed by adoption are less genuine or are somehow problematic.
The lack of accurate information on adoption is especially acute for teens. Indeed, studies found that pregnancy counselors mistakenly assume that teens facing an unplanned pregnancy do not want to discuss adoption. In fact, these studies concluded that those facing an unplanned pregnancy, including teens, want to explore adoption.
Nearly 500,000 teen births occur annually in the U.S.
Less than 1% of teen pregnancies result in an adoption plan.
Teen parents are at greater risk of neglect or abuse, contributing to a crisis in foster care.
The gross annual cost to society of adolescent childbearing and the entire web of social problems confronting parents was calculated in 1996 to be $29 billion by The Robin Hood Foundation.