Reasons someone might consider adoption: Being pressured while vulnerable

By Leah Lusk, content specialist

For someone facing an unplanned pregnancy or struggling with barriers to parenting, subtle and overt pressure can heavily influence decision-making. That pressure may come from many places — a partner who feels unready, parents who believe adoption is the “responsible” choice, friends who think it’s “for the best,” or family or community members whose religious beliefs frame adoption as redemption for sin, to name a few.

Crisis pregnancy centers, agencies with biased agendas, and well-meaning but misinformed supporters may offer reassuring — yet incomplete — statements like:

• “This is the best thing for your child.”
• “You’ll still get to see them through open adoption.”
• “You’re being selfless and strong.”

What’s rarely said is:

• “You deserve support if you want to parent.”
• “You can change your mind.”
• “You don’t have to do this alone.”

When someone is scared, isolated, and unsure where to turn, their “choice” may not be a choice at all — it’s survival. And decisions made in survival mode often reflect the options a person thinks they have, not the ones they would choose if they felt safe, supported, and informed. True consent means having the time, resources, and freedom to explore every possibility, without the weight of others’ expectations shaping the outcome.