A Rare Look at Teen Pregnancy and Adoption

July 18, 2007— -- Brookanne was enjoying the first blush of adolescence, when, as a 15-year-old high school sophomore in Texas, she learned her life was about to change. She was pregnant.

Many miles away, 18-year-old Erin had just received a financial scholarship for college and was happily anticipating the next phase of her life, when she, too, discovered she was pregnant. All her plans for her future were dashed. "I denied it for a little while," Erin said, "and then when I kind of got up the guts, I told Mom, 'You might want to sit down.' And I told her and she said, 'Oh, God.' She was floored."

The two pregnant teens were faced with enormous decisions. Brookanne, the darling of a family that includes three older brothers, recognized early on the difficulties being such a young mother would present. She knew she would be a child herself, bringing a child into the world. "Me and my mother and my father, we all decided trying to raise a baby at 15 is hard. I'm not ready to be a mother," she said. Brookanne's mother, Barbara, says that her daughter's decision was made with what seemed to be firm resolve. "Her mind was made up when she told us she wanted to give the baby up for adoption. This was such a big, life-changing decision that it wasn't ours to make. It was ours to support," she says.

For Erin, the discovery of her pregnancy was further complicated by her family's financial hardships. Erin's parents, Ron and Marie, were bankrupt and had to sell their home. There was no health insurance to help buffer the costs of doctor visits. Despite this, Marie told her daughter she shouldn't let money troubles stand in the way if she really wanted to keep the baby. "We would still love you. We would be supportive of you 110 percent," she said.

After considering her options, Erin decided to place her baby for adoption. "We were struggling, and I've always heard the saying, 'If you can't afford to feed yourself, you can't afford to feed a baby.' So that was the main factor. I just really wanted her to have a stress-free life."