Many unplanned teenage pregnancies do not result in an adoption choice. Why is that? Why is it that adoption is the least chosen option among pregnant teenagers? Research indicates that only 1 to 2 percent of teenagers facing unplanned pregnancy decide to place a baby for adoption in Arizona.
In reviewing teenage pregnancy research, the following are common threads amongst most findings:
- Approximately 77 percent of teenage pregnancies are unplanned, which also means that up to 23 percent of teenage pregnancies may be planned
- Approximately 30 percent of teenage pregnancies result in abortion
- Teenage parenting is the number one reason that teenage girls drop out of school
- More than 50 percent of teenage mothers never graduate from high school
- 8 out of 10 teenage fathers don’t marry the birth mother of their baby
- A teenager who is engaging in unprotected sex may have up to a 90 percent chance of becoming pregnant within one year.
Only a Small Percentage of Unplanned Teenage Pregnancies End in Adoption
Research indicates the reasons why a small percentage of teenagers with unplanned pregnancies choose to place a baby for adoption in Arizona. This small percentage can be attributed to the following:
- Lack of maturity – A teenager’s brain is still developing
- Lack of education on adoption
- Availability of family assistance
- Parents/grandparents may co-parent and help financially
- Their pregnancy may be kept a secret, and they may have felt there was no time to develop an adoption plan
- Believing that a baby will cement the relationship with the baby’s father
- Teenagers thought processes might emphasize fantasy vs. reality
- Cute baby clothes
- Choosing names, nursery themes
- Baby Showers
- Enjoying being the center of attention
Teenagers are still children themselves, and adoption is a very positive option for pregnant teenagers. Adoption allows the teenager to complete their high school education and plan for a productive future, while the baby is also insured a bright, stable future with loving, mature parents. Educating teenagers about adoption as a choice for unplanned pregnancies may decrease the teenage abortion rate and give pregnant teenagers another opportunity to plan for future success and having a family when they are more prepared to do so.
Building Arizona Families Helps Teenagers Thinking of Placing a Baby for Adoption in Arizona
Building Arizona Families / AZ Pregnancy Help is a local adoption agency. If you would like to create an Arizona adoption plan, please contact us at (623) 695-4112. If you are considering placing a baby for adoption in Arizona and want to find a family for your baby in Arizona or anywhere in the United States, we can help. Please remember, there are alternatives to abortion, and we offer free unplanned pregnancy help. We also offer financial support for pregnancy when choosing adoption.