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!s ISest For Child?-WhatI-' I * I rOK’S Non*: - Final ill sprirs iif three stories on plight ot unwed mothers in I’ortef Count) and assistance the receive at Bethesda Home in \ alparaisolt\ MOH DIXON“I definitely feel that adop t ion is the best w ay to assure my baby of a hoik! home.”It is not a question of the child tieing “unwanted”, but more a question of common sense While more and more girls who have children out of wedlock are electing to keep the infants, it is increasingly apparent that this is not always the best course ot action Officials at the Baptist Children’s Horne, who operate a licensed adoption agency in conjunction with their numerous other childcare facilities, say that adoption is the best course both for the child and the mother There are numerous reasons for this approachHie Rev. William Anderson, supervisor of social services at the Baptist Children’s Home, feels that it is better bothemotionally and psychologi-eally for a girl to give theinfant up loi adoption When the girl decides to give her child up, she should It'd secure in the know ledge that her child will have a secure home possibly more than she could expect to give him It leaves her free to concentrate on giving birth to a healthy baby and eliminates the complexities of having to support a child without outside helpFor these reasons, the Bethesda Home officials advise the girls in residence to give their children up for adoption To date, 53 of the W5 girls who have passed through the Bethesda Home have given their children up for adoption, under the counseling advice of the Bethesda officialThe availability of good homes far exceeds the supply of children to fill them, and this fact affords the Baptist Children's Home officials a chance to place children only in homes that meet the requirements of their policies.In addition to the Indiana requirements of good homes, the Baptist Children's Home further requires that parents must have a good Christian background and be (in the opinion of the officials) able toraise children in a home with a sound religious backgroundCandid OpinionsThe two girls who currently resident Bethesda (there have iieen as many as ten, the average is five are very pleased with all phases of the program neither had any suggestions when asked if there were some way they would like to see the program improved The only real problem the girls felt they faced was that of meeting people They agreed that it was much more difficult to talk to people because people seemed shy around them.Both girls are high school graduates, although the average age of the girls has been 15.Ann” plans to return to her old job after her child is born, and “Mary” discussed looking for a job after she leaves Bethesda.Both of the girls feel that the Bethesda Home provides them with everything that it possibly can in terms of counseling and pre-natal instruction ”In general, the girls said that the atmosphere was just what the Rev. Don Worch and Anderson would like it to beonebig, happy family. One of the girls said she felt more secure than at home The Bethesda Home is not the answer to an age old problem that is not yet diininshing There are still no clear cut answers that tell us that one system or another is the definite solution Most of the promised solutions lie in the period before pregnancy can occur through organizations like Planned Parenthood Many of the solutions to the still-growing problem remain controversial issues the birth control pill and abortion are prime examples While we do not condone the problem.” the Rev. Anderson said, It exists and something has to lie done about it.”And through the various services of the Baptist Child ren’s Home, something is being done. In addition to the discussed areas of adoption agency and maternity home, the Baptist Children’s Home operates a child care facility and a foster home care program.It’s only part of a solution — a long, complicated solution — but the Rev. Worch’s door is always open_
Newspaper Details
Valparaiso Vidette Messenger
Valparaiso, Indiana, US
Thu, Jul 20, 1972
Page 20
Full Page
Clipped by
Porter C.
IN, USA 27 May 2025
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