Many Alabama supporters of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 24 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case granting the right to an abortion, hoped it would be a catalyst for adoption efforts within the state.
“As a co-chair for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, I believe this can be a turning point for Congress to expand our efforts to ensure a safe future for our nation’s children born and unborn,” U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, said when the ruling was announced.
However, pregnancy resource centers like the Etowah Pregnancy Testing Center and other agencies like the Department of Human Resources, which deal with adoptions and foster children, say they are unsure about what could come from this ruling in Alabama, where abortion has been banned by state law.
“We cannot speculate on any potential impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling,” explained DHR’s director of communications, Dominic Binkley, “We simply don’t know what the future could bring.”
Kali Copeland, a representative of the Etowah Pregnancy Testing Center, cited some of the challenges it has seen when it comes to expectant mothers, noting there has been an increase in women seeking out their services that have negative feelings toward their situation.
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“We have some clients who are obviously very excited about becoming pregnant and we have others who are clearly not as excited about it. Generally speaking, most of our clients are happy about it, but we’ve increasingly been seeing clients who are not very excited and need help figuring out what their options are,” she said.
Copeland said the center recognizes that “parenting is not always the best option for some people,” which is why it also works to make sure its clients know all of their options — which includes adoption and even abortion in states where it remains legal.
“We want to make sure they are well aware of their options and what they entail. We tell them that there is no easy choice and try to give them factual information so they can make the best choice for them,” she said. “We are a judgement-free zone and we know that whatever decision our clients make are their own.”
Currently, DHR in Etowah County takes in a monthly average of 11 children for foster care a month. Binkley said the most frequent reason children end up in DHR’s care is from a parent’s drug abuse, with other reasons including “neglect, physical abuse and inadequate housing.”
“Children and youth enter foster care through no fault of their own. Rather, it is because their home environment presents a significant safety risk, there are no identifiable relatives at the time who can provide a home with no significant safety risks,” he said. “Foster care is the only option available to keep children safe while those risks are addressed.”
In total, there are 203 cases within the county, with only 60 homes approved to place children into, leaving roughly four children per household. While Binkley says the ratio of children to homes is currently an issue for the county, there is a shortage of foster homes statewide.
He also claims it is harder to place older children and children with special needs into foster homes, citing that many have an easier time caring for younger children who may not have as much trauma from being displaced.
“Infants and toddlers are traditionally the easiest children to place. Many foster parents are confident in their ability to care for a young child, while they may be unsure of their ability to provide the emotional support required for some older children recovering from trauma, and also to provide care for children or youth with special needs,” he said.
With Roe v. Wade being overturned, both Binkley and Copeland say there is no surefire way to determine if these challenges will increase or become harder to navigate.
“I think that we may be seeing more clients, but I really don’t know. Time will tell,” Copeland said.
However, she adds that she and the staff of the Etowah Pregnancy Testing Center are prepared either way, insisting they will not stop providing the services that they have in the past.
“We provide them with free resources and classes that allows them to earn points towards items that can be bigger expenses during pregnancy, such as a crib, crib mattress and car seats,” she said. “These things will not change with the ruling made by the Supreme Court.”
“Throughout its history, the Alabama Department of Human Resources has adapted to meet the evolving needs of children and families across the state,” Binkley added. “We will continue to adjust our services as needed to fulfill our obligations to the children and families in Alabama.”
DHR also is pushing for more homes to sign up and become involved with foster care.
“We encourage anyone interested in fostering or adopting to contact Etowah County DHR at 256-549-4100. More information is also available at dhr.alabama.gov,” Binkley said, “DHR is always working to recruit new families to fill this important role in our communities.”