Historical Context of the Adoption “Crisis” in New South Wales

Abstract

The downward trend in the numbers of babies made available for adoption has been explained by a greater community acceptance of unmarried mothers, improved social benefits for them, and an increased use of oral contraceptives. An analysis of eight-year patterns of adoptions and ex-nuptial births in N.S.W. indicated that these explanations cannot be valid. Historically, the events which coincided first with an upward trend and then with a downward trend in the numbers of babies surrendered for adoption in N.S.W. were: a suppression of establishments providing illegal abortion and a liberalization of abortion laws, respectively. This liberalization is postulated here as the major factor in the adoption “crisis”.