A quick glance at any bulletin board around Grounds gives a taste of University life: concerts, meetings, plays, lectures, the list goes on. But recently, an unusual flyer found its way into the mix. "Adoption," it read next to a small stork, "Childless, Married couple seeking to adopt infant."
Suzanne and Tim Simpkins, a couple from Leesburg, Va., flyered the University and six other Virginia colleges as part of their ongoing effort to adopt a child. Newspaper classified ads, libraries and post offices are just a few other places where they have conducted their search.
"Anywhere there's a bulletin board, we've been putting them up," Suzanne said.
Given the infrequent decision by women with unplanned pregnancies to choose adoption, however, the Simpkins may have a long road ahead.
Christine Peterson, the director of gynecology at the Elson Student Health Center, said she is aware of only one student since 1987 who has chosen adoption for her baby. The vast majority of unplanned student pregnancies at the University end in abortion, Peterson said.
Two routes are available to women who decide adoption is the option they prefer. They either can contact private individuals, such as the Simpkins, or they can use a private agency. Like most local governments, the City of Charlottesville and Albermarle County do not coordinate infant adoptions, according to Karen Horridge, the adoption specialist in the Charlottesville Department of Social Services.
"We don't do infant adoptions anymore because there are so many foster children in need of adoption, and there aren't really that many infants to adopt anyway," Horridge said.
National adoption statistics are just estimates because the government does not require private domestic adoptions to be reported, according to the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute. The Institute has found, however, that the number of infants available for adoption in the United States has been declining dramatically because of "increased access to contraception, the legalization of abortion and changed social attitudes about unmarried parenting."
Consequently, many local couples seek international adoptions, according to Constance Bar, the Virginia branch director of Bethany Christian Services. Bar said few University students use Bethany's local adoption services.
"I don't think we've had more than three or four [students use our services] over the last five years," she said.
Bethany's services include counseling women and locating birth fathers, and Bar stressed birth parents "can be very involved in selecting a family" for their child. Bethany's Web site even includes profiles of potential adoptive couples.
Bar speculated adoption is an infrequent choice for women with unplanned pregnancies because they are unfamiliar with it.
"Adoption agencies are nonprofit organizations, so our advertising budgets are quite small," she said.
Using an adoption agency provides women with the option of remaining as anonymous as they wish, so some women may prefer to use an agency rather than contact an individual couple, Bar said.
Still, directly seeking a couple has its own advantages. Suzanne and Tim said private adoption gives birth mothers more control than if they go through agencies.
"With an agency ... it's kind of impersonal," Tim said.
The Simpkins would provide several adoption-related services to birth mothers.
"We will actually pay for a separate lawyer for the birth mother and medical expenses if she needs them paid for, and a lawyer for the baby to make sure all parties are represented and have a voice in the process," Suzanne said, clarifying that in Virginia adoptive parents legally are allowed only to pay certain costs.
The Simpkins decided to pursue adoption after two years of trying to conceive and an unsuccessful attempt with in vitro fertilization. They chose to try an independent domestic adoption -- rather than an agency adoption or international adoption -- because they said independent adoptions tend to be less expensive, faster and less risky than the other types.
"The agency tends to be $10,000 more and a couple years waiting, not always, but that's the common wisdom, the common thinking," Tim said.
Bar said, however, that she believes the cost of each type of adoption is comparable, and Bethany uses a sliding scale to insure "adoption is available to just about anyone who comes and wants to adopt."
Suzanne and Tim said they had to complete a home study in which they were interviewed by a licensed social worker three times, including one home visit, to become eligible to adopt. The home study, which also included an investigation by state police and Child Protective Services, will continue for six months after a child is placed with them. There also will be unannounced visits until the adoption is finalized.
"They go through an exhaustive questionnaire --- ours was a least 12 pages long," Suzanne said, mentioning relationship, health and finance questions.
"Everything a lot of people would consider personal information, they want to know," Tim agreed.
"Just anything to determine if you'll be a good parent," Suzanne added.
The Simpkins said they hope their advertising relieves the stress of women who are uncertain of available options.
"The interesting thing we've learned is -- If you had an emergency, you call 911, but if you have a pregnancy, what do you do?" Tim said. "There's no one number to call. People don't know what to do."
On their flyers, the Simpkins included a phone number specifically dedicated to their adoption search which has a different ring from their regular line.
"We scramble for the phone when we hear it ringing," Suzanne said.
So far, the only calls they have received are callers offering encouragement and occasional callers who hang up before saying anything. The Simpkins attribute the hang-up calls to nervousness.
"It's got to be intimidating," Tim said.
"Half the battle is just that first phone call," Suzanne agreed. "It takes a lot of courage for the birth mom to pick up that phone and make that call."
Since they began pursuing adoption, Tim and Suzanne said they have met many other families who have adopted children successfully.
"It's a weird way to extend your family, but it all works out -- it's amazing," she said. "That's why we wanted to do it."
Although they haven't been successful yet, the Simpkins remain optimistic.
"I think it's going to be neat to meet the birth mother," Suzanne said. "I think it's going to be a good decision for both of us. We're excited -- nervous but excited."
Education graduate student Jeanne-Marie Stevens, who said she wishes she had found adoptive parents after her two unplanned pregnancies rather than seeking abortions, said adoption was an excellent option for one of her close friends.
"It was a difficult experience, obviously, but it was a very beautiful experience when she met the new parents of her child and they were just elated," Stevens said. "She was just amazed that what had been a big misfortune for her turned into a beautiful gift that she could give this child to this couple"
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