Overview of Adoptions in 2002

The National Council for Adoption publishes an Adoption Fact Book from time to time, which can be ordered in print or accessed electronically as a PDF file. In the current edition (Adoption Fact Book IV), there are these statistics based on data available in 2002:

• As compared to 1996, the number of domestic adoptions has increased.
• In 2002, more domestic adoptions were adoptions of children who are not relatives than adoption of children that are relatives.
• Domestic adoption of unrelated *infants* has decreased.
• Births to unmarried women increased from 1996, while the rate of infant adoption placements by unmarried women decreased.
• In 2002 there were 22,291 adoptions of infants that were not relatives.
• In 2002 there were 326 abortions for every 1000 live births and only 17 adoptions for every 1000 abortions. There were 16.3 adoptions for every 1000 live births to unmarried women.
  

You may find it helpful to read the chapters titled "Should She Make an Adoption Plan?", "Should We Adopt the Baby?", "Should They Marry?" and "Should She Parent Alone?" in our book "How To Survive Your Teen's Pregnancy."

November is National Adoption Month. Take time to research adoption with your pregnant daughter, along with single parenting and marriage. Then, no matter which of these roads she chooses, she can feel confident that the decision was made with care and thought instead of off-handedly. When things are tough in the future (because life can be hard no matter what we choose), she can remind herself that she actively chose her road instead of saying "I wish I had considered ______."