Debunking common adoption myths

Have questions about what you’ve heard about adoption? Our Florida adoption counselors are here to help you sort through common adoption myths and learn the truth about adoption. Here’s what private adoption can look like for you and your baby.

What are some common adoption myths?

When pregnant mothers come to us for help, they are often surprised to learn the truth about some common adoption myths. Learning the truth about adoption empowers you to better take control of your future, and of the future that you want for your child.    

• Myth: I’ll never know who adopted my baby.
  Reality: With private adoption, mothers choose their baby’s adoptive parents, and can meet with them in person to get to know them before making a final decision.
• Myth: I’ll never be able to learn what happened to my baby.
  Reality: You can plan for staying connected after adoption. Your Legacy options counselor will first talk with you about the contact you’d like, whether that’s photos and updates, phone calls or visits. We’ll then share profiles of families seeking that same type of openness and support you as you get to know the family you choose.
• Myth: Placing a baby for adoption costs money.
  Reality: All agency services involved in placing a baby for adoption are completely free to mothers. This includes counseling, legal support, adoption planning, and all coordination necessary to ensure a streamlined adoption process.
• Myth: If I contact an adoption agency for information, they’ll pressure me to choose adoption.
  Reality: At Legacy, we’re here to listen, answer your questions, and help you explore your options – not pressure you. You don’t need to have made a decision before calling, and talking with us doesn’t commit you to an adoption plan.
• Myth: Once I make an adoption plan, I can’t change my mind.
  Reality: Making an adoption plan doesn’t commit you to placing your baby. In Florida, a mother can sign adoption consent 48 hours after birth, or on the day she receives written medical clearance to leave the hospital or birth center, whichever comes first. Before you sign, we’ll explain the permanent legal changes involved and help you get your questions answered.
• Myth: Placing my baby for adoption means I’m abandoning my child.
  Reality: Choosing adoption is a selfless and loving decision that mothers make with their child’s best interests at heart. With private open adoption, the child can grow up knowing that their mother loved them so much, she chose to give them a beautiful life full of love.
• Myth: Choosing adoption means I don’t love my child enough to parent them.
  Reality: Deciding to make an adoption plan is incredibly difficult emotionally for mothers, and that’s because the decision comes from a place of love. This choice involves immense sacrifice, made out of pure love for the child and a wish for them to have the opportunities and security that every child deserves.
• Myth: Only teenagers place babies for adoption.
  Reality: Women of any age can find themselves in circumstances where they are unable to parent their child. Adoption gives them a way to give their child the abundant future that they want for them, but do not feel that they can provide at that point in their lives.

Explore the truth about adoption

It’s common for pregnant women considering adoption to have many questions and worries about what to expect. Our Florida adoption counselors can answer all of your questions and explain every part of the process to you, so that you can make an informed choice that feels right for you and your child. Contact us at (239) 703-8600 today to connect with an options counselor, and get information about adoption that can debunk common adoption myths.