[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 145 (Friday, October 24, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S11200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ABRAHAM (for himself and Ms. Landrieu):
  S. 1318. A bill to establish an adoption awareness program, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources.


                  the adoption promotion awareness act

  Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise to urge my colleagues' support for 
the Adoption Promotion Awareness Act. This legislation will provide the 
means necessary to keep women fully informed concerning all their 
options regarding any unexpected pregnancy.
  Mr. President, each year more than a million couples eagerly await 
the opportunity to adopt a child. Unfortunately, only 50,000 domestic, 
nonrelated adoptions occur each year. That means that only 5 percent of 
American couples willing and able to open their hearts and homes to a 
child who needs them are able to do so.
  As a result, Mr. President, would-be parents often must wait several 
years for the opportunity to adopt a healthy child. For the anxious 
parents, the waiting seems to last an eternity. And their waiting is 
made even more tragic by the fact that only 4 percent of women in 
America choose adoption as an option for an unplanned pregnancy. We 
have hundreds of thousands of empty homes, waiting to welcome children 
who are never born.
  There are many reasons for the sharp disparity between the relatively 
limited number of children available for adoption and the growing 
number of families anxiously waiting to adopt a child. Crucial is the 
fact that many women are not provided adequate information about 
adoption when they are making the crucial decision of how to deal with 
an unexpected pregnancy. Too few women are fully informed concerning 
the adoption option. If we could get the news out to these women that 
couples are waiting with open arms to welcome their children into a 
loving home, more would chose to have their babies and release them for 
adoption.
  This is not mere speculation, Mr. President, it is supported by the 
facts. Michigan's private adoption agencies, for instance, report that 
21 percent of the women seen for services decide to release their 
children for adoption. Studies have shown that women are more likely to 
choose adoption when clear, positive information is provided concerning 
that option.
  We know that providing information to women on adoption as a choice 
can increase the number of adoptions that occur each year and decrease 
the number of abortions. I believe that this is an important goal. For 
this reason, I have introduced, along with my colleague, Senator 
Landrieu, legislation that authorizes an Adoption Awareness Promotion 
Program. This program will provide $25 million in grants to be used for 
adoption promotion activity. It will also require recipients to 
contribute $25 million of in-kind donations. The total amount going to 
adoption promotion will, therefore, be $50 million. This amount will 
allow for a thorough information campaign to take place--reaching women 
all over the country.
  The legislation provides for grants to be used for public service 
announcements on prints, radio, TV, and billboards. Grants will also be 
provided for the development and distribution of brochures regarding 
adoption through federally funded title X clinics. These provisions 
will enable women to have accurate and clear information on adoption as 
an alternative when at a crucial point in their pregnancies. Further, 
the campaign will help to raise the level of awareness around the 
country about the importance of adoption.
  Mr. President, I believe that each and every one of us, whether pro-
life or pro-choice, should be working to reduce the number of abortions 
that occur each year. Indeed, I have often heard on this floor that 
abortion should be ``safe, legal and rare.'' I take my colleagues at 
their word and urge them to join me in this voluntary information 
program; a program designed to inform women of all their choices 
regarding any unexpected pregnancy.
  Too many women in America feel abandoned and helpless in the face of 
an unexpected pregnancy. The father of the child may have left, the 
woman's family and friends even may desert her. Even those who stay 
with her may simply pressure her to end an embarrassing and troublesome 
situation.
  Too often, then, our women, in a vulnerable state, are left without 
full, unbiased information and guidance concerning their options. I 
think it is crucial in these circumstances that we keep these women 
fully informed of all their options--including the option of releasing 
their child into the arms of a welcoming couple, anxious to become 
loving parents.
  If we truly are committed to making every child a wanted child, Mr. 
President, I believe it is our duty to see to it that pregnant women 
know that there are couples out their who would love to care for their 
children. It is time for us, as a nation, to make clear our commitment 
to truly full information for expectant mothers, information that 
includes the availability of safe, loving homes for their children.
                                 ______