In the United States, nearly 50% of pregnancies are unplanned, but only 2% of those pregnancies result in adoption. Today, fewer women than ever with unplanned pregnancies are turning to The Cradle, a renowned, non-religious adoption agency in Chicago, as a resource. 

To address this decline in inquiries, we had to examine and acknowledge the shame, stigma and archaic stereotypes that surround the women who make this decision: the birth mothers. Colloquial language refers to the action of placing a child for adoption as “giving up” a baby. Every time someone uses the phrase, they’re painting birth mothers as failures; as women who “give up.” We set out to transform the way birth mothers are viewed by telling their stories of strength, and help remove the stigma from this choice by changing the language around it. We asked people to give up the phrase Giving Up, as it has pertained to adoption. The campaign resulted in a 120% increase in inquiries to The Cradle. By asking viewers to give up “Giving Up,” we are shifting not only how birth mothers are viewed but also changing how society thinks of adoption.