Gretchen Sisson

So there has never been comparable rates of abortion and adoption, right? Abortion is a very common experience. Relinquishment is a relatively rare one. And this is true even when you look back pre-Roe v. Wade. Even when abortion was illegal and adoption was extremely coercive, secretive, this is the peak of domestic adoptions, you still had more abortions than you did adoptions at the time.

So there has never been comparable rates of abortion and adoption, right? Abortion is a very common experience. Relinquishment is a relatively rare one. And this is true even when you look back pre-Roe v. Wade. Even when abortion was illegal and adoption was extremely coercive, secretive, this is the peak of domestic adoptions, you still had more abortions than you did adoptions at the time.

But I think that what the justices are suggesting, that people don't need access to abortion because adoption exists, fundamentally misunderstands, one, how people make pregnancy decisions, and two, the reasons that they might relinquish. So people don't make pregnancy decisions choosing between abortion and adoption. They're choosing between abortion and staying pregnant. Right.

But I think that what the justices are suggesting, that people don't need access to abortion because adoption exists, fundamentally misunderstands, one, how people make pregnancy decisions, and two, the reasons that they might relinquish. So people don't make pregnancy decisions choosing between abortion and adoption. They're choosing between abortion and staying pregnant. Right.

But I think that what the justices are suggesting, that people don't need access to abortion because adoption exists, fundamentally misunderstands, one, how people make pregnancy decisions, and two, the reasons that they might relinquish. So people don't make pregnancy decisions choosing between abortion and adoption. They're choosing between abortion and staying pregnant. Right.

People who seek abortion are fundamentally uninterested in adoption. There was one survey of abortion patients that asked them if they were interested in adoption, and 99% said no, 1% said kind of, 0% said yes, right? People who want abortions just are not interested in adoption. But most of the mothers that I interviewed who went on to relinquish, they wanted to parent.

People who seek abortion are fundamentally uninterested in adoption. There was one survey of abortion patients that asked them if they were interested in adoption, and 99% said no, 1% said kind of, 0% said yes, right? People who want abortions just are not interested in adoption. But most of the mothers that I interviewed who went on to relinquish, they wanted to parent.

People who seek abortion are fundamentally uninterested in adoption. There was one survey of abortion patients that asked them if they were interested in adoption, and 99% said no, 1% said kind of, 0% said yes, right? People who want abortions just are not interested in adoption. But most of the mothers that I interviewed who went on to relinquish, they wanted to parent.

Most of them didn't consider having an abortion. They continued their pregnancies because they intended to raise this child. And it wasn't until either an accumulated series of crises or a major breaking point happened where parenting felt impossible. So that's what we know about how people make pregnancy decisions. They're not choosing between abortion and adoption.

Most of them didn't consider having an abortion. They continued their pregnancies because they intended to raise this child. And it wasn't until either an accumulated series of crises or a major breaking point happened where parenting felt impossible. So that's what we know about how people make pregnancy decisions. They're not choosing between abortion and adoption.

Most of them didn't consider having an abortion. They continued their pregnancies because they intended to raise this child. And it wasn't until either an accumulated series of crises or a major breaking point happened where parenting felt impossible. So that's what we know about how people make pregnancy decisions. They're not choosing between abortion and adoption.

And we know that they're not relinquishing because they couldn't get an abortion necessarily. So when we did a study of people who were denied access to abortion care, 91% of those who were forced to continue the pregnancy because they couldn't get an abortion, 91% of them were parenting. Only 9% were relinquishing. Wow.

And we know that they're not relinquishing because they couldn't get an abortion necessarily. So when we did a study of people who were denied access to abortion care, 91% of those who were forced to continue the pregnancy because they couldn't get an abortion, 91% of them were parenting. Only 9% were relinquishing. Wow.

And we know that they're not relinquishing because they couldn't get an abortion necessarily. So when we did a study of people who were denied access to abortion care, 91% of those who were forced to continue the pregnancy because they couldn't get an abortion, 91% of them were parenting. Only 9% were relinquishing. Wow.

Now, that 9% is meaningful compared to the half of 1% of overall births that are relinquished. So if you constrain people's choices, if you deny abortion access, if you make parenting impossible, people will relinquish because they don't have another path.

Now, that 9% is meaningful compared to the half of 1% of overall births that are relinquished. So if you constrain people's choices, if you deny abortion access, if you make parenting impossible, people will relinquish because they don't have another path.

Now, that 9% is meaningful compared to the half of 1% of overall births that are relinquished. So if you constrain people's choices, if you deny abortion access, if you make parenting impossible, people will relinquish because they don't have another path.

But they are not generally relinquishing just because they were denied abortion care. We are going to have far, far more people parenting in circumstances that they didn't choose as a result of abortion denial than we are going to have an increase in adoptions.

But they are not generally relinquishing just because they were denied abortion care. We are going to have far, far more people parenting in circumstances that they didn't choose as a result of abortion denial than we are going to have an increase in adoptions.

But they are not generally relinquishing just because they were denied abortion care. We are going to have far, far more people parenting in circumstances that they didn't choose as a result of abortion denial than we are going to have an increase in adoptions.