Unwanted Pregnancy: Mothers Sending Their Babies to US Adoption Centers

It was a dark, damp winter night on one of the great plains of the state of Arizona. The path led to a lonely road, Michelle stopped abruptly.

“I was in so much pain that I couldn’t go back to the hospital,” she recalls. Near a creek, 20 miles from town, Michelle gave birth in her car.

” It was scary. I remember praying a lot. I wanted my mother… I wanted my mother.

While Michelle was giving birth to her child, her eldest daughter slept in the backseat of the car. In the dark, with her cellphone turned off, Michelle sat for 15 minutes, with the newborn baby wrapped in a blanket in her lap.

She looked at the child. Stared at his face. She restarted the vehicle and drove fast.

Michelle hadn’t told anyone she was pregnant. She was very scared. The baby’s father was an unpredictable man. Separated and helpless, she felt trapped.

She stopped at the nearest hospital because she knew the adoption law in Arizona. She could “give birth” anonymously without fear of prosecution.

Michelle ran to the reception, with the baby in her arms.

“I asked to speak to an employee. They came to see me and I told them, “I think leaving my baby here will be the best option. I just wish he was safe. »

Michelle gave the baby to the nurses. She knew the child would now be adopted.

The baby was taken immediately to the infirmary.

– Michelle gave birth with the help of medical professionals. Babies can also be left in a special center at the hospital or with the fire brigade;

– In medieval Europe and also in Brazil, churches welcome children for adoption.

– Baby adoption centers still exist elsewhere, but the United States is the only country to have a law for abandoned babies;

– Refugee laws were introduced in the United States with the aim of “preventing infanticide”;

– Texas was the first to pass these laws in 1999, after all other states followed suit;

– The risk of child homicide is higher on the day of birth. A recent report from the US Centers for Disease Control found that the number of babies killed on the day of birth dropped by almost 67% after the laws were introduced. But a causal link is difficult to establish, because other factors can also explain the result.

It was the death of a newborn baby that inspired Heather Burner to become an adoption center activist. More than ten years ago, she worked as a pediatric nurse in a hospital emergency room in Phoenix, Arizona.

“A 15-year-old girl was admitted to hospital. She had abdominal pain. After taking her constants, she went to the bathroom. She gave birth to the baby alone and put it in the trash. About 20 minutes later, an employee found him. We tried to save him, but we couldn’t. »

Despite the evidence, the teenager denied the baby was hers. It is suspected that she was sexually abused by a family member.

“It was very traumatic,” says Heather. Director of the Arizona Safe Haven Program and Executive Director of the National Safe Haven Alliance (NSHA). According to her, 4,687 babies have been “donated” to adoption centers nationwide since 1999.

In June, when the Supreme Court ruled on abortion rights in the United States, there was a 300% increase in calls to the toll-free number set up by the NSHA.

Anti-abortion groups have long argued that adoption laws eliminate the need for abortion permission, a view repeated in court hearings.

“We’re looking at what’s stopping the parent from taking care of the child,” says Heather. “Most of the time, the baby is not the problem, but the situation of the family. Are they homeless? Are they in need? »

Some women call, but ultimately keep their babies. Others opt for a regular adoption and choose the family who will take care of their children. But some will “give birth” in reception centres.

West of Phoenix, Porter Olson lives with his family. Porter is an 11-year-old boy who is energetic and enjoys camping, cooking and gardening.

In 2011, the Olsons were contacted by an adoption agency. They had signed up.

“I got the call and they told me we had a baby,” recalls Michael Olson. He immediately sent a message to his wife Nicole: “The best day of my life. »

Nicole is a teacher. “I called my manager and said, ‘I need to know what the procedure is for maternity leave. And she said, “Why?” Are you pregnant? And I said, ‘No, but we found a baby for adoption. »

Porter’s biological mother left him in the hospital.

“I never cared about his origins,” says Nicole. Still, the couple thought it might be helpful for Porter to have more information about the birth parents.

“Then one day, my mother was doing a DNA test to find out my origins. She said she would be happy regardless of the outcome,” Porter said. “And we took the test, and I have European, Native American, Sub-Saharan, and East Asian ancestry.”

There is no legal mechanism for Porter to find out more about his biological parents.

This is why some activists frown on adoption laws. Some feminists have also criticized the legislation. They believe that the laws do not take into account socio-economic inequalities, which push mothers to abandon their children.

And what if a woman regrets giving up her baby?

“Some states have a grace period during which the mother can attempt to get the child back,” said Maricopa County Assistant District Attorney Kate Loudenslagel.

“But here in Arizona, we don’t have a solution for mothers who change their minds. The abandonment of the child is considered as a renunciation. If a man believes he is the father of a child, he has 30 days to notify the new parents and claim paternity.

“I couldn’t get the image of his face out of my head,” Michelle said of the baby she gave the nurses that winter night.

Three days after giving birth, Michelle called the NSHA. Heather Burner began to defend and help the young woman.

“She was very lucky. She came across a lovely family,” says the NSHA executive director. Thirty-three days after abandoning her daughter, Michelle got her child back.

She says seeing her daughter again was the best feeling in the world. The couple caring for the baby had agreed to return the baby to her. If they had refused, the case would be settled in court.

The young woman seemed happy to speak to the BBC, perhaps because her story had ended well. But what about the thousands of women who abandoned their newborn babies and never saw them again?

It is difficult to give an answer to this question, because we do not have testimonials.