Is Adoption Right For Me?| Video Transcript

•1.	PHOTO: Young woman looking contemplative GRAPHIC: Is Adoption Right for Me?	As a woman who has found herself with an unplanned pregnancy, you've probably spent a lot of time considering the options available for you and your baby's future.
•2.	GRAPHIC: Options for a Birth Mother Add: 1) Parenting The Baby Add: 2) Terminating the pregnancy Add: 3) Making an Adoption Plan	You know that you can choose to parent the baby. This is the obvious choice. You may also have thought about terminating the pregnancy, although not everyone considers abortion a viable alternative. Adoption is another option available for you that not everyone thinks of. Adoption is certainly not the easiest choice to make, but one that should be considered.
•3.	GRAPHIC: K&K Logo • • Over 20 years experience	At Kirsh & Kirsh, we can tell you everything you need to know about adoption. We have practiced exclusively in the area of adoption law for the last 20 years.
•4.	Video Clip BM3-1 Title: Sarah Birthmother	SARAH: Originally, I wasn't considering adoption. Abortion was never an option for me, so I just assumed I would parent. If you know me, you know how logical I am, so I started out by doing a lot of research on what it was going to cost to be a parent. As I went along, I was 20 years old, and it just kind of got a little depressing for me realizing that I was going to have to live in low-income housing and probably work two jobs. When I did a full financial statement, figured out my monthly expenses, I came to the conclusion that without a college degree there was no way I was going to be able to afford to live the kind of life I wanted to, provide for the child the way I wanted to at that point in my life. At that point, adoption started to become a consideration.
•5.	Video Clip BM1-3 TITLE: Rhonda Birthmother	RHONDA: The topic just sort of came up. As I started thinking about it a little bit more, it seemed reasonable to at least explore the possibility of what that might be like and would that be something that I would consider as opposed to parenting the baby by myself.
•6.	Video Clip BM2-1 TITLE: Jennie Birthmother	JENNIE: I was unmarried and in a relationship that I was confident would not be long term and found myself in a position to look for something much, much better for a child. Humbly, I realized I was not the best choice in raising a baby at that time. I wanted so much more. I felt that the choices which I had made that put me in that position weren't something that the child should have to pay for in the long run.
•7.	PHOTO: Woman reviewing various paperwork, adoption options, looking anxious, concerned,	We know that making an adoption plan for your baby may be the most difficult -- yet rewarding -- decision you may face. Remember that a hard decision is not necessarily a bad decision.
•8.	GRAPHIC: Adoption •Loving, courageous, unselfish •Want more for your baby •Provide opportunity for others to parent •Difficult decision not right for everybody	Adoption is a loving, courageous and unselfish choice for a woman who finds herself unexpectedly pregnant and uncertain about assuming the lifelong commitment of parenthood. If you feel that you want more for this baby than you can provide at this time in your life, an adoption plan may be a good choice.
•9.	Video Clip BM1-3 Title: Rhonda Birthmother	RHONDA: When the birth father bailed out. That certainly was a rude awakening. He was very much in favor of an abortion. When I made the decision not to do that, he certainly decided he was going to be completely out of the picture. It was really clear then that at that time, I was on my own and that since I was going to continue this pregnancy, I was going to have to do everything completely by myself.
•10.	Video Clip BM2-6 Title: Jennie Birthmother	JENNIE: There were many times when I went over in my head how in the world could I make this happen. How could I parent this child? Of course, all those offers were shooting at me left and right through family and friends. We could help you with this and that. It was so for the moment. It was good enough for the moment, but I had to really look at the long run.
•11.	PHOTO: Young woman bonding with unborn child growing inside her Add GRAPHIC 4: •Putting baby's needs above your own	In order to proceed with an adoption, you have to be able to put your child's needs above your own. Some women are not able to fathom the thought of saying goodbye to their baby at the hospital. But you owe it to yourself and unborn child to at least explore all your options before making a decision. Asking for information about an adoption plan will never obligate you to proceed with one.
•12.	Video Clip BM3-1 Title: Sara Birthmother	SARA: Once I started counseling and going through the whole process, toward the end of my pregnancy I realized it wasn't all monetary. I really wasn't ready to be a mother. I really didn't have the maturity or the capacity to do it and there were people out there who did. I felt that my son would be much better off with someone who was ready to be a parent.
•13.	Video Clip BM1-5 Title: Rhonda Birthmother	RHONDA: It takes much more than wanting to be a parent. I had all the desire in the world. I had all the love that I needed to have. I just didn't have the maturity. I knew that I would not be able to come home at the end of a long day and be the kind of mom that I am now. Also, I think it was really hard for people to understand that I really wanted the baby to have two parents. I wanted him to have a dad. I wanted him to have a stable, happy environment and that wasn't going to be with me.
•14.	PHOTO: Kirsh & Kirsh logo DELETE PHOTO	My brother, Joel and I are attorneys who practice exclusively in the area of private adoption. Our goal is to be responsive to the needs of the birth mother, the adoptive family, and the baby so the process is a positive experience for all. We are not judgmental nor will we try to pressure you. We realize your circumstances are difficult enough. We want to make this process easier, rather than more difficult for you.
•15.	Video Clip BM2-12 Title: Jennie Birthmother	JENNIE: It was the best decision which I have ever made. I have a lot of different responses when letting people know that I was a birth mother. Usually, it is one extreme or the other. There is really no in between. "How could you do that?" or "Wow, that is a lot of love." In facing that actually is what has made me the strongest, more so than the pain. It has really shaped me and my character in ways I have never imagined, that I am very fond of now. I have a really hard time judging women who find themselves in that situation. A really difficult time. I have learned to have a great deal of more compassion and a lot more faith. My course of healing is just reaching out to other birth mothers and helping them.
•16.	GRAPHIC 5: Kirsh & Kirsh logo 1-800-333-5736	If you have any questions about an adoption plan for your baby, please pick up the phone and call us, any time - toll free - at 1-800-333-5736.