Part 3 of 4

Continued from the previous posts
Please acquaint yourself with the details of this case by reading the first two posts in this series:
Court Case Illustrates Problems with Independent Adoption
The Kilmer Adoption Case, Part 2

This story troubles me on several levels
I’m bothered that a California adoption facilitator would move a woman from Florida to an Iowa apartment. It strongly reminds me of the maternity homes of the 1950s and 60s to which pregnant women were sent so no one would learn about the “shame” of their unwed pregnancy. At those maternity homes, when women gave birth, their babies were immediately placed in adoptive homes – the mothers often didn’t even get to see their baby or to learn their baby’s gender.

Modern-day maternity home for unwed mothers
This scenario seems like the 21st century version of a maternity home. According to the article, women from all over the country relocate to this same apartment complex during their pregnancies. I don’t have information on how many of those women place their babies for adoption, but I’m betting it’s quite a few.

It seems to me as if this adoption facilitator is preying on the desperation of pregnant women like Kilmer – they need a place to live, food and prenatal care. The adoption facilitator provides pregnant women a safe haven, but only as long as they ultimately relinquish their babies. It smacks of coerciveness.

Kilmer chose adoption
Granted, Kilmer did take the first step in contacting the facilitator. There was no indication in the article that the classified ad said, “Place your baby for adoption and we’ll give you food, clothing and shelter during your pregnancy.” I suspect it read like the typical adoption classified ad: “Are you looking for a loving family for your baby? We can help. Contact us.”

So Kilmer must have been at least contemplating the idea of adoption if she picked up the phone and made the call, and then agreed to continue on to Iowa and live there. The article also indicates that throughout the remainder of her pregnancy, she seemed comfortable with her adoption plan, at least outwardly.

Continued in the next post