Baby Love

Adoption provides different option

By KELSEY BLACKWELL
UNIVERSITY JOURNAL

Adoption is an option for expectant mothers who are not ready to handle the responsibilities of a child and are not comfortable with abortion.
Paige Hendrickson, office manager for the department of regional services at SUU, decided to give her child up for adoption after becoming pregnant as a student at SUU in 1999.
“I’m pro-choice, however, for me personally, I couldn’t abort my baby,” Hendrickson said. “It was a toss up through the pregnancy if I would put her up for adoption or raise her as a single parent.”
Hendrickson said she chose adoption because she wanted the best for her child.
“I came to the decision after a lot of evaluation,” Hendrickson said. “I just wanted my baby to have a mother and father. I respect parenthood, especially the family unit. Every child deserves every chance for succeeding.”
Hendrickson said the social workers at LDS Family Services Adoption Agency helped her look at all her options before deciding to give her baby away.
Robert Heaton, LDS adoption agency director, said many expectant mothers come to the agency with questions and are looking for advice.
“We help the mother look at all of her alternatives,” he said. “Knowledge is power. This is a difficult time and we’re here to listen. We’re available to help with wants and needs.”
Hendrickson said she was able to dictate the criteria her potential couple would need to meet before being selected as the parents for her baby, but was able to keep her options open about the adoption.
“I wanted my family (the family she chose) to have a son, be an outdoor family, have a large extended family; I picked out a lot of things,” Hendrickson said. “But my options were still open, nothing was finalized until after I already had her and I signed the paperwork relinquishing all of my parental rights.
Before signing the paperwork, Hendrickson, said the agency made sure she was not under the affects of any of the medication from her delivery. Though Hendrickson had planed on giving her baby up for adoption, she said signing the papers was one of the most challenging events of her life.
“It was hard,” she said. “People don’t know what it’s like if they haven’t done it. When I look back on it now I can’t believe I was able to do it.”
Heaton maintained the agency is supportive and tries to help the birth mother cope with her decision.
“One of the things we say here is there’s hope,” he said. “We know that this is very difficult for a mother.”
Since the adoption, Hendrickson said she has come away from the experience with a positive attitude.
“When I think about what (her daughter) has – it’s a huge success; for me, for her, and for her family,” Hendrickson said. “The experience has made me grow in so many ways. Her family is grateful to have her and now has what they had wanted to make their family more complete and she is loved and is in a perfect place.”
Heaton said, he encourages mothers who are thinking about adoption to call LDS Family Services for help and advice.
He also said information is kept confidential and the birth