• So far, abortions in the United States are estimated to have reached nearly 63 million since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision forced legalized abortion upon every U.S. state in 1973 (Guttmacher Institute & CDC stats)
  • Current statistics show 2,548 abortions daily in the U.S. — 106 abortions per hour, 1.8 per minute, and one every 35 seconds.
  • The Guttmacher Institute states that about 45% of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended. Among these, the majority (about 54%) end in abortion, while approximately 6% result in adoption.
  • The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute, a leading authority on adoption and an organization that provides a comprehensive overview of the birth-parent experience, conveys that domestic infant adoption is usually the first thing that comes to mind when Americans discuss adoption, yet it is the least common type of adoption. 2
  • The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute estimates that domestic infant adoptions account for 15 percent of all adoptions, compared to 59 percent from the child welfare system, and 26 percent from other countries. 2
  • Abortions reduce adoptions by 11.7 :1 when comparing U.S. abortions to U.S.-sourced adoptions in developing an abortion/adoption ratio. If you exclude the number of foster care adoptions (mainly of older children), it increases the abortion/adoption ratio by 23 times. This means we choose abortion 12 to 23 times more frequently than we do parenting or adoption. 3
  • The Guttmacher Institute makes it known: “Legal access to abortion would be expected to reduce the number of unwanted children and thus the supply of children available for adoption and the number of adoptions.” 5
  •  In the U.S., just over one-half of all pregnancies to teens ages nineteen or younger end in births. Thirty percent of teen pregnancies end in abortion, and fourteen percent end in miscarriage. Of the teens that give birth, most parent the child.
  • Research shows that only one to two percent of U.S. women place their child for adoption, and the number of U.S. teens who place their babies for adoption has declined sharply over recent decades.8
  • Almost two percent of unmarried women of any age place their child for adoption. 8
  • There are 6.7 million women in America alone, between the ages of 15 to 44, with impaired fecundity (impaired ability to get pregnant or carry a baby to term). 10
  • In the U.S., there are approximately two million infertile couples waiting to adopt, many times regardless of the child’s medical problems such as Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, HIV infection or a terminal illness.1
  • Dr. Brad Imler, President of America’s Pregnancy Helpline, confirms the challenges faced by waiting couples by stating: “Only one percent of the Helpline’s annual 40,000 clients inquires about adoption.” 1
  • Nearly three out of four adopted children ages zero to five are either read to or sang to every day, compared with only half of non-adopted children who receive the same attention from their biological parents. 11
  • Well over half of all adopted children eat dinner with their families at least six days a week. 11
  • The vast majority of adopted children have parents who reported that their child feels positive about their adoption. 12
  • Ninety-two percent of adopted children ages five and older have “positive” or “mostly positive” feelings about their adoption, according to their parents. This is true regardless of the adoption type and the child’s age. Overall, 49 percent of adopted children were reported as having positive feelings, and 43 percent were reported as having mostly positive feelings about their adoption. 12
  • According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services national survey of adoptive parents, the statistics show the adoptive children’s social and emotional well-being: Eighty-eight percent of adopted children six years old and beyond exhibits positive social behaviors, compared to 94 percent of all children in the U.S., and that 81 percent of the parent-child relationship was reported as “very warm and close.” 13
  • Three out of four adopted children have parents who have some prior experience with or connection to adoption. Adopted children typically have parents who say they chose to adopt either to provide a permanent home for a child, to expand their family, or because of infertility. 12
  • A survey conducted by the American Pregnancy Association found that 60% of women considering an unexpected pregnancy were unaware of the full spectrum of adoption options available to them, indicating a need for better education and outreach.
  • Research indicates that societal stigma surrounding adoption can impact women’s decisions during unplanned pregnancies. A survey by the National Council for Adoption found that 70% of Americans believe adoption is a positive option, yet many women do not receive adequate information about it.
  • Studies show that many women considering abortion are often unaware of their adoption options. A survey conducted by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists found that a significant percentage of women did not receive information about adoption as an alternative during counseling for unexpected pregnancies.
*Above statistics concern domestic adoption in the United States
*Visit the Donaldson Adoption Institute for more research and statistics
*Adoption statistics are hard to track, since states are not necessarily required to report domestic adoptions

 

Sources:
1. Brown, Kristi Burton. Why Do More People Choose Abortion Over Adoption? 17 May 2012. 10 February 2015 <http://www.lifenews.com/2012/05/17/why-do-more-people-choose-abortion-over-adoption/ >.
2. The Donaldson Adoption Institute. The Adoption Institute. 2014. 10 February 2014 <http://adoptioninstitute.org/ >.
3. Adoption USA: A Chartbook Based on the 2007 National Survey of Adoptive Parents.
ii On a related note, Planned Parenthood is a disproportionate contributor to the abortion/adoption ratio. We know that Planned Parenthood aborts 391x for every adoption referral. We also know that Planned Parenthood accounts for 25%-30% of all U.S. abortions. Without Planned Parenthood, the nationwide abortion/adoption ratio would fall at least 30% to at most 8.1x, from 11.7x.
4. Andrusko, Dave. RAISING CONSCIOUSNESS ABOUT ADOPTION . 2001. 10 February 2015 <http://www.nrlc.org/archive/news/2001/NRL11/adopt.html>.
5. Bitler, Marianne and Madeline Zavodny. Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. January 2002. 10 February 2015 <https://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3402502.html>.
6. Arons, Jessica. The Adoption Option. 18 October 2010. 10 February 2015 <https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/report/2010/10/18/8460/the-adoption-option/>.
7. Chandra, A., Abma, J., Maza, P., and Bachrach, C. (1999) Adoption, Adoption Seeking, and Relinquishment for Adoption in the United States. Advance Data 306.
8. Marchick, Rose. Options for Pregnant Teens. 17 March 2011. 10 February 2015 <http://www.livestrong.com/article/125702-options-pregnant-teens/>.
9. AdoptED. AdoptED-Education. 10 February 2015 <http://adoption-education.com/library_stats.htm>.
10. Center for Disease Control. Infertility. 6 February 2015. 15 Febraury 2015 <http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/infertility.htm>.
11. American Adoptions. Adoption Statistics. 2007. 10 February 2015 <http://www.americanadoptions.com/pregnant/adoption_stats>.
12. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Adoption Satisfaction. 2015. 10 February 2015 <http://www.aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/09/NSAP/chartbook/chartbook.cfm?id=24>.
13. Statistic Brain. Adoption Statistics. 19 April 2013. 10 February 2015 <http://www.statisticbrain.com/adoption-statistics/>.
14. Planned Parenthood. Annual Report 2012-2013. 10 February 2015 <http://www.plannedparenthood.org/files/7413/9620/1089/AR-FY13_111213_vF_rev3_ISSUU.pdf>.