After learning that they are pregnant, many women experience feelings of isolation, of facing a strange, unknown world alone. Thankfully, this just isn’t true. In some cases, friends and family will be there to lend a compassionate ear. If not, there are numerous support groups created specifically for women facing the dilemmas and emotions that you face right now. If you need to speak with someone now, you can contact our counselors 24 / 7 here.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, more than half of all American pregnancies are unintended. Look around yourself right now. Chances are, you know someone who faced the same situation, and made the best choice for themselves and their babies.
Famous People Who Faced Unplanned Pregnancies
Where do we look for support? We can look to our friends and families, our communities and faith-based groups. We can also look to prominent members of society, for inspiration and examples of courage in the face of adversity. You are not alone. Here’s why:
Joni Mitchell
In the late 1960s, Joni Mitchell revolutionized the way people heard, and thought about, the human voice. She didn’t write lyrics, but something closer to pure poetry. And she didn’t quite sing; she warbled, and croaked, straining against the limitations of her vocal cords. In the process, she created something exquisite, something beautiful and new.
In 1964, at the age of 21, Mitchell learned that she was pregnant. She decided that she was unable to provide her baby, who was born Kelly Dale Anderson, with the home that she deserved so she placed Kelly for adoption. Over the next 30 years, Joni would write many songs about her biological daughter, and her choice to place Kelly with an adoptive family. In fact, she identified her daughter’s birth as the moment that would provide so much of her musical inspiration.
To date, Joni Mitchell has been awarded eight Grammy Awards, and was named as one of only two women to Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.” You can learn more about Joni and her daughter’s adoption journeys by visiting her website.
Mercedes Ruehl
In 1991, prominent stage and screen actress Mercedes Ruehl won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the film The Fisher King. In the same year, she won a Tony for Best Actress. 15 years earlier, at the age of 28, Ruehl gave birth to a son, Christopher, who she placed for adoption. Ruehl went on to adopt herself, a son named Jake, in 1995. Christopher is Jake’s godfather.
Many other famous men and women have placed their biological children for adoption, including:
- Actor Clark Gable
- Comedian Andy Kaufman
- Singer and guitarist David Crosby
- Country music great Hank Williams, Sr.
- Actress and comedian Roseanne Barr
- Actress Kate Mulgrew
- American politician Strom Thurmond
Famous Adoptees
In every field, in ways small and large, adoptees change the world every day.
- Country singer Faith Hill
- Musician Sheryl Crow
- Actor Nicole Kidman
- Tom Cruise
- Former President Bill Clinton
- Civil Rights activist Jesse Jackson
- Poet Maya Angelou
- Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth
- Actor Ted Danson
- Revolutionary author Edgar Allen Poe
- Steve Jobs, founder of Apple
- Actor and R&B star Jamie Foxx
- Beatles-member John Lennon
Adoption gave these people, and many more, the support and love that they needed to succeed. If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy, adoption may be the right choice for you and your baby. To learn more, visit our Adoption Options page here.
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