Posted by Betsy Hochberg

Just as the make-up of the American family has changed over the last few decades, so has the face of adoption at JF&CS. Where societal biases once existed against single parents, same-sex couples, and multi-racial families, today those adoptive parents are commonplace.

A generation or two ago, women placed their babies for adoption mainly due to societal pressure. The concept of an unmarried, pregnant woman flew in the face of societal norms and social mores; those women who brought their babies to term were often forced to choose adoption and had little if any say in the matter of the adoptive parents.

Today, most women who place their babies for adoption do so for more varied reasons. Women who are living marginally might realize that they cannot support a child or divert resources away from their other children. Through hospitals, social workers, Planned Parenthood, and/or adoption lawyers, many are referred to JF&CS Adoption Resources, where they can learn about the option of adoption, make an adoption plan, and select and meet the adoptive family.

At JF&CS Adoption Resources, the make-up of the adoptive family has no bearing on the success of an adoption; adoptive families come in all colors, sizes, and genders. Last year, we worked with a heterosexual couple who decided to adopt after numerous unsuccessful attempts to start a family; a 38-year-old single woman who received financial assistance to adopt a child of color; and a gay couple that had recently gotten married. No matter what type of family is chosen by the birth parent, the overriding goal is for each adopted child to be placed in an appropriate, permanent, and loving home.

Betsy Hochberg, LICSW is Director of Adoption Resources, the adoption agency of JF&CS. She has held this position for the past 12 years and has been a clinical social worker for 35 years. She began her adoption work 25 years ago after adopting the first of her two daughters. Betsy is a board member of Resolve of New England and the Adoption Professional Association of Massachusetts (APAM). When not at JF&CS, Betsy enjoys walking her Bernese Mountain Dog, reading, and spending time with her husband, daughters, and granddaughter.