In spite of no recent changes in the Factors Influencing The Rate Of Adoption in Arkansas, An Angel’s Choice Adoption Agency continues to unite families through its’ private agency. Michelle Oglesby, Owner and Operator of the adoption agency says she has united five families with new born babies since April of this year, making that a total of 24 since her business opened.
Oglesby shares a heart warming story of how two birth mothers ended up having their babies on the same day at the same time, making two couples very happy.
According to one report on Abortion Statistics in Arkansas, from 1991 to 2011, the state has shown a decline in its’ abortion rate. However, there is still a steady flow of women coming through the doors of one of the only two abortion clinics in Arkansas. According to one source, there are 30 to 40 abortions performed at this abortion clinic per week. Many if these women are traveling from nearby states like, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.
Info graph: C. Flowers-Weston
Anti-abortionist stand outside the abortion clinic hoping to persuade as many of these women as they can to accept information about other options that would save the life of their unborn child. Michelle Oglesby knows all too well about one of these options, adoption.
Michelle Oglesby and her husband, Mason opened, An Angel’s Choice Adoption Agency three years ago with a mission to help pregnant women who did not want to keep their baby with a plan of adoption. “My husband and I decided to step out on faith and open our adoption agency,” said Oglesby, and since the opening of their agency, Oglesby says they have had a 100% successful rate, placing 19 babies with loving and caring parents.
photo: courtesy of Sherwood Chamber of Commerce
According to Oglesby, most of the clients she assist are referred to her agency by either the Arkansas Crisis Center, a doctor’s office or someone looking to make a plan of adoption going through, Google or word of mouth.
“I primarily work with pregnant moms that are placing their babies while they’re unborn, “ said Oglesby.
Oglesby says she works closely with an agency that exclusively works with adoptive parents.
“Once I find out the needs of the birth mom, what she is looking for in a set of parents, I search for parents that are willing to adopt their baby,” she said.
Oglesby notes, there are a few types of adoption options. Her agency focuses on three. An Open Adoption, allows the birth mother and adoptive parents to communicate with each other after the birth of the baby and continuously throughout the child’s life.
A Semi-Open Adoption, allows the birth mother to communicate with the adoptive family through social media and pictures. In a Closed Adoption, neither party is privileged to any information, not even by name.
Oglesby says there is no limit on the amount of children a family can adopt. “It is whatever you can afford, and whatever your heart is willing to give,” she said.
