• Because they're not ready for the responsibilities of parenting.

• Because they want to finish high school or college.

• Because they want to be "unpregnant" and free to be a teenager.

• Because they want to be a good person and "do what's right."

A Columbia University study of pregnant teens checked them six months and four years after giving birth. The study revealed that those who placed their babies for adoption:

• Were more likely to complete high school, more likely to attend college, more likely to have higher educational aspirations, and more likely to be employed.

• Were less likely to be on welfare, less likely to be "living together" but not married, and less likely to have another out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

• Were more likely to have greater overall satisfaction with their lives - with their work, their finances, and their relationships.

• Were more likely to be optimistic about their own future.

A similar study by Planned Parenthood's Family Planning Perspectives of young unwed mothers who placed their babies for adoption revealed they were:

• More likely to finish vocational training; more likely to have educational aspirations.

• More likely to delay marriage; considerably less likely to have another out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

• More likely to be employed six to twelve months after giving birth and, across the board, almost all had higher household incomes.

The Search Institute did a study of adopted children twelve to eighteen years after they were born. The study revealed that:

• Adopted adolescents' self-esteem was as high or higher than their peers.

• Adopted adolescents are as deeply attached to their adoptive parents as their siblings who were not adopted.

• Adopted adolescents report having as much support from family and friends as their non-adopted siblings have.

• Adopted adolescents do extremely well in school and attend college more often that the general population.

• Adopted adolescents experience lower rates of crime and drug abuse.

Now and then you hear of an adoptive parents horror story; so here's what a national survey found when comparing adoptive parents with biological parents:

• Both adoptive and biological parents attach similar levels of importance to encouraging good behavior in children. These included following rules, doing well in school, being independent, and assuming responsibilities. Having a mother at home with children under age five was very important to both types of families.

• Both adoptive and biological parents agreed that marriage should be for life and that divorce should enter the picture only under the most extreme circumstances.

• Both adoptive and biological parents used a considerable amount of time praising and hugging, and they criticized and spanked very infrequently.

• Both groups spent similar amounts of time with the kids and helped with reading and with homework from school.

 
the birth parent(s),
the baby, and
the adoptive parents.
 
Because different people want different choices in planning for an adoption, there are several ways to set up an adoption plan. These descriptions will help you think about what you might prefer in an adoption situation.

Open adoption includes sharing identifying information, including names and addresses, and the potential for ongoing direct contact between birth families and adoptive families.

In a semi-open adoption the birth parent(s) may be allowed to select the adoptive parent(s) for their child. This includes actually choosing and possibly meeting the adoptive couple personally. There may be an exchange of pictures, gifts, and non-identifying letters through the first year or longer.

If the birth parent(s) knows of someone who wishes to adopt their child, the adoptive couple may be referred to the proper agency to help with the adoption plan.

In a confidential adoption privacy is ensured for both the birth parent(s) and the adoptive parents. If adoptees wish to meet their birth parent(s) when they become adults and the birth parent(s) also want to meet, arrangements may be made through mutual consent adoption registries.