Overturning of Roe v. Wade Could Result in More Babies to Adopt

The end of Roe v. Wade may prove beneficial for millions of Americans hoping to adopt, especially in states that severely restrict or outlaw abortion, such as Florida, Mississippi, and Texas. Any given year sees at least two million people wanting to adopt a scant 20,000 babies who are born in the United States and voluntarily relinquished, says the Adoption Network Law Center. Now, however, many women who may have previously ended their pregnancies under Roe are expected to place their babies for adoption.

In recent years, several factors have increased the demand for adoptable babies, including access to abortion but also lower fertility rates and more acceptance of same sex couples and single parents who choose to adopt. “Studies show that 91% of mothers who carry unplanned pregnancies to term choose parenting over adoption,” according to a recent article in the New York Post. It is unknown how many of those mothers live in states that restrict or ban abortion, “but if you take 9% of them, it’s going to be a big number,” says Florida adoption consultant Nicole Witt.

Witt notes that the resulting infant adoptions could double in the United States. She cautions that the number of babies placed for adoption is “not going to be hundreds of thousands…But it’s absolutely going to be a significant help for families who are seeking to adopt.”