logo
Funny Animals Interesting Freaky Pop Culture

After Surviving The Foster Care System, This Woman Says Adoption Is Not The Solution To Abortion

by Elana

It seems like the tumultuous political situation the US has going on right now is constantly flopping back and forth between reproductive rights and immigration rights, leaving us all with no shortage of stress and anxiety while we try to navigate these humanitarian issues among crowds of shrieking people, all angry at each other about things they seem to struggle to understand.

Recently, Olivia Paige turned to Facebook to offer an alternative, in depth perspective to the abortion debate by reflecting on her time spent in the foster care system of the US. She detailed the startling statistics that should lead anyone who favors adoption as a reasonable and rational solution to abortion into considering that we have a very serious adoption/foster care system in need of attention before we contribute to it and significantly increase the already overwhelming, under-funded programs.

Along with her status, Olivia shared a photo of a flyer that was handed out to prospective adopters when she was a teenager.

She was never adopted.

Along with her status, Olivia shared a photo of a flyer that was handed out to prospective adopters when she was a teenager.Olivia Paige
I debated posting this for a while, I’ve decided to do it because not many people know what it’s really like as a child in the system. Here goes. (please hold your sad reacts)I want everyone preaching “Adoption is always an option!” to read this. I know they won’t, but one can hope.Olivia Paige
Let me start off by reminding you of the 390,000+ children and teens in foster care, 100,000+ of which are waiting to be adopted. Around 50,000 are placed up for adoption each year - these abortion bans are sure to make those numbers grow so let me share some statistics with you.Olivia Paige
20% of teens who age out of foster care become instantly homeless, with no support system in place. There is less than a 3% chance that any of these kids will obtain any sort of degree. 25% suffer from PTSD. 1 out of every 2 kids will develop substance abuse problems. Adopted children make up only 2% of children under 18.Olivia Paige
What about the rest of them? I’ll share what it was like for me, one of the lucky ones. Someone who by no means had it easy, but had just enough love and support to make it out alright.Olivia Paige
The photo attached is an actual flyer that was handed out to prospective adoptive homes for several years through my teens. I was never adopted. I spent a decade in foster care, bouncing between “homes” with strangers in places I’d never known before. With no warning, a social worker would show up and tell me I’d have to pack my things (the very few I had) and leave whatever strange place I’d kept myself from getting too comfortable in at the drop of a hat. I had no say in the matter. New school, new unwanted life - overnight.Olivia Paige
There was never any telling what the next place would be like. A few times there were no homes for me or open beds in group homes or youth shelters, so I’d have to sit around or on the floor of a cubicle in the same DCFS building I’d always return to right before my life was complete chaos again, until a home was found. I lived in a few good homes and with family intermittently when I could - but I was also abused both physically and sexually in two separate foster homes and had moved dozens of times by the age of 18.Olivia Paige
I watched my foster parents receive checks that were designated to feed and clothe me, and spend them on just about anything else. I was hospitalized at 11 years old due to malnutrition and a swift blow to the head, then lied to the police because I was afraid of what would happen to me if I told the truth about how I got there or why I was covered head to toe in bruises. I learned that speaking up only creates more problems. So I kept my mouth shut.Olivia Paige
I watched a foster parent take in 5 special needs children, and a few months later add a deck, new sunroom and hot tub to her house with money from the state. She later lost her license when it as apparent that she was neglecting these children. I’ve seen these situations over and over, I’ve also lived them. I spent ten years feeling unworthy of love, unwanted and waiting for the next bad thing to happen to me. This is just the beginning of it all.Olivia Paige I emancipated out of foster care at the ripe old age of 16, and by 17 I was a legal adult living in my own apartment. That was the first time in 13 years I had my own bed, and it felt like the first time. Fortunately, my life since then has been pretty dandy - unlike the lives of most teens who age out.Olivia Paige Do you know what it’s like to log onto the adoptuskids.org website and see your name and face, year after year? Knowing that nobody is in your corner. That you have no place to go. Well, I’m glad you don’t and you never have to. But those kids you were so adamant about before they were born? A large number of them will.Olivia Paige Are these those “rights” you were talking about? a life is not saved just by letting it be born.Not being able to leave your foster home unless escorted by social worker or foster parent? To be unable to live a normal life? To be fully unprepared for adulthood with no safety net or support?Olivia Paige This isn’t just *my* reality. This is the reality of hundreds of thousands of children who still face this every day, and the many more who you are signing up for this. A potential lifetime of loneliness, fear, neglect, worry and heartbreak. I dare you to say “adoption is always an option” to any of the several tens of thousands who have been waiting patiently for years for someone to come along and give them the chance to define the word “family”.Olivia Paige Forcing mothers to give birth under the guise of some false promise of adoption is wrong, for every party involved. Nobody is forcing you to have an abortion, stop making decisions for others and stay out of other people’s uteruses. This is the message I am trying to send by sharing my story.Olivia Paige I’ll say it again, I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m not sharing this because I want sympathy. I don’t need it. But those kids? They do. Their voices are unheard. And soon there will be more out there that your “hopes and prayers” will do nothing for - so please, take action now. Kids should be in homes with families that truly love them. If you’re so adamant about kids being born - go through the process and adopt some yourself. (If you truly believe the point of this post is to say I wish I had been aborted, please stop reading between the lines and finding things that aren’t there. You have missed my point if that’s all you take from this)Olivia Paige

Olivia concluded with:

If you want to know how you can help, just ask. (Source: https://www.google.com/…/51-useful-aging-out-of-foster…/amp/ )

After a lot of positive feedback and encouragement, Olivia also followed the advice of thousands of people who urged her to start a GoFundMe so that she can use her photography skills to help other children.

Olivia Paige

Share this article:

Facebook icon Pinterest icon Tumblr icon Link icon Twitter icon

Related Articles

Drone Descending Into The Great Blue Hole Attacked By Deep-Sea Creature

Drone Descending Into The Great Blue Hole Attacked By Deep-Sea Creature

Jeremy Clarkson Shares Why He Purchased A Farm In 2008 Despite Having No Farming Experience

Jeremy Clarkson Shares Why He Purchased A Farm In 2008 Despite Having No Farming Experience

Airline Expert Debunks Common Myths About Finding The Cheapest Plane Tickets

Airline Expert Debunks Common Myths About Finding The Cheapest Plane Tickets

Fans Are Only Now Realizing The 'Meaning' Behind Nintendo's Iconic Name

Fans Are Only Now Realizing The 'Meaning' Behind Nintendo's Iconic Name

42 Healthy Relationship Memes For Couples Who Understand Love Languages

42 Healthy Relationship Memes For Couples Who Understand Love Languages

If You Recognize More Than 15 Of These Pictures, You Might Be Getting Old

If You Recognize More Than 15 Of These Pictures, You Might Be Getting Old

21 Bizarre “Accidental Camouflage” Instances That Completely Stumped Us

21 Bizarre “Accidental Camouflage” Instances That Completely Stumped Us

UK Truck Driver Leaves Many Speechless After Revealing His Paycheck On The Internet

UK Truck Driver Leaves Many Speechless After Revealing His Paycheck On The Internet

14 Fierce Female Leaders Of The Animal Kingdom You Need To Know

14 Fierce Female Leaders Of The Animal Kingdom You Need To Know

25 Beloved Products You Won't Believe Were Invented By Accident

25 Beloved Products You Won't Believe Were Invented By Accident

How A Man Endured 438 Days At Sea Without Food Or Water

How A Man Endured 438 Days At Sea Without Food Or Water

Cameron Diaz Advocates For 'Sleep Divorce' As This Trend Gains Popularity

Cameron Diaz Advocates For 'Sleep Divorce' As This Trend Gains Popularity

She Quit Her 9 to 5 — 35 Y.O. Woman Transforms Side Job Into A $141M Empire

She Quit Her 9 to 5 — 35 Y.O. Woman Transforms Side Job Into A $141M Empire

Gen Z Feel That Thumbs-Up Emoji Needs To Go, They Interpret It As Rude

Gen Z Feel That Thumbs-Up Emoji Needs To Go, They Interpret It As Rude

Prolific Artist Shows How Pop Culture Of The 21st Century Evolved Through The Years

Prolific Artist Shows How Pop Culture Of The 21st Century Evolved Through The Years

New Pageant Queen Confronts Abuser Who Attended Ceremony

New Pageant Queen Confronts Abuser Who Attended Ceremony

Scientist Reveals Unusual Theory Suggesting We Are Always 'Living In The Past'

Scientist Reveals Unusual Theory Suggesting We Are Always 'Living In The Past'

Streamer Reveals Massive Fortune He Risks Losing If He Stops Running Ads, And These Numbers Are Insane

Streamer Reveals Massive Fortune He Risks Losing If He Stops Running Ads, And These Numbers Are Insane

7 Hidden Hazards In Hotels Revealed By A Former Employee

7 Hidden Hazards In Hotels Revealed By A Former Employee

Three New Gen Z Terms Added To The Dictionary - Millennials Might Not Know Them

Three New Gen Z Terms Added To The Dictionary - Millennials Might Not Know Them

Eminem Debunks Popular Fan Theory About His New Album

Eminem Debunks Popular Fan Theory About His New Album

25 Costly Mistakes That Are Both Hilarious And Heartbreaking

25 Costly Mistakes That Are Both Hilarious And Heartbreaking

Top 20 Hilarious Tweets About The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Top 20 Hilarious Tweets About The 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony

Cat Owner Made The Ultimate Cat-Sitting Manual To Ensure Her Cats Get Royal Treatment

Cat Owner Made The Ultimate Cat-Sitting Manual To Ensure Her Cats Get Royal Treatment

Fans Outraged - The Netflix Thriller Everyone's Begging To Bring Back After A Shocking Cancellation

Fans Outraged - The Netflix Thriller Everyone's Begging To Bring Back After A Shocking Cancellation

Retro Tech Photos That'll Make You Remember The Dial-Up Tone

Retro Tech Photos That'll Make You Remember The Dial-Up Tone

Categories

Funny Animals Interesting Freaky Pop Culture

Business

About Us Advertise Contact Us

Legal

Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy DMCA Removal
 Logo
About Us Privacy DMCA Removal Contact Us Terms Funny Animals Interesting Freaky Pop Culture

© 2025 - All Rights Reserved

 logo

Sign In to

facebook icon Sign in with facebook
facebook icon Sign in with google

Or sign in with email

Need an account? Sign Up

Forgot Password?

By creating an account, you agree to the Terms of Service

 logo

Sign Up to

Already have an account? Sign In

By creating an account, you agree to the Terms of Service

Edit profile

User Photo