Choosing Adoption After a Sexual Assault

by Jaclyn Prasa

If you are a victim of rape and have become impregnated by the assailant, it is understandable to be at a loss right now on what to do with your pregnancy. Every 68 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted, and 1 in 6 women is raped. These staggering statistics are profoundly heartbreaking. As a survivor of sexual assault, you’re not a statistic; you know the horrors firsthand. Your sense of control and autonomy was stripped and violated. 

You might be dealing with conflicted feelings about the resulting pregnancy. That is OK. If you cannot conceive the notion of raising your baby, that is OK and understandable. If you also cannot fathom terminating your pregnancy, then a Wichita adoption might be your best option. Choosing adoption in Kansas means that you would be choosing hope for yourself and hope for the child you carry. At Adoption Choices of Kansas, we want to help you throughout the difficult process. 

If you need adoption help now, please call us at 877-903-4488, text us at 316-209-2071, or visit us at Adoption Choices of Kansas.

The Adoption Process

The adoption process in itself is not difficult, but you, as a birth mother who has faced sexual assault, may experience emotional pain along the way. Adoption Choices of Kansas will be there for you throughout the entire process. 

First, you may be wondering if the abuser has any claim to your child. The laws in Kansas acknowledge a birth father’s rights, mostly if he is married to you. If that’s the case, and the offender was your husband, then any proof of the birth father’s violence will undermine his possible authority, terminating his rights. Choosing adoption after a sexual assault is courageous. It can remain 100% confidential, just between us and your adoption agency in Kansas. Additionally, you will have the support of our legal team if needed. 

Once you contact Adoption Choices of Kansas, you and an adoption counselor will create an adoption plan and a birthing plan. You are in complete control of the process. Your counselor will merely be a form of support for you. 

Adoption Choices of Kansas offers birth mothers several resources within their adoption plan. These resources include safe housing, financial aid, medical care, and emotional support. You will decide how much of each resource is required within your individualized plan. 

You will also be able to choose the level of openness within the adoption plan: open, semi-open, or closed adoption. The levels refer to the amount of contact you wish to maintain with your baby and the adoptive family. Considering that you are a woman of sexual assault, closed adoption may be preferred. You will have the knowledge that you did something good by giving up the child to a loving family, and then you can move on as cleanly as possible.  

We know that putting a child up for adoption can be an emotionally conflicting process. We will be available to help you 24/7. It is our mission that you feel safe and assisted throughout the process. 

Our Adoption  Resources 

Safe Housing

If you are coming from a home with a domestic abusive partner, it may be best for you to utilize this resource. We can help you get out. Consider that any harm to you can lead to harm to your pregnancy. A healthy and safe place to stay is a nurturing environment to aid in healing. Adoption Choices of Kansas can even assist you in finding safe housing post-placement. 

Financial Aid

If eligible, we can offer financial stability in the form of rent, utility bills, groceries, paternity clothing, doctor visits, etc. We promote a no-stress environment for birth mothers. 

Medical Care

Prenatal care is essential during your pregnancy. This ensures your health as well as your baby’s healthy growth. We also help with transportation to and from your appointments. However please note that if your have not received any prenatal care, adoption is still an option for you.

Emotional Support

Most women, about 94% of rape victims, experience PTSD after a sexual assault. This period in your life may be bogged down by emotional distress. Suffering from a sexual assault and carrying the resulting pregnancy is an incredibly conflicting thing. It is also brave, loving, and kind.  You may also face the emotional effect of giving up your baby for adoption. Such feelings may be grief, guilt, depression, etc. Anything you feel is valid and OK. We will be here for you to ensure that nothing is overwhelming or unmanageable. We offer counseling 24/7 throughout the process and even after the adoption. It is our promise to help you heal. 

Adoption After a Sexual Assault

What you’re facing is terribly challenging. By choosing to give up your baby for adoption, you have chosen a loving and hopeful future for yourself and for your baby. Choosing adoption is not giving up. If you need unplanned pregnancy help now, Adoption Choices of Kansas serves birth parents statewide and beyond. We can help with teen pregnancy, financial assistance, difficult situations, and more. Please call us or text us to learn more! Call Us at 877-903-4488 or Text Us 316-209-2071