In a powerful move to expand life-affirming options for young women in the Golden State, newly elected Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo introduced her first bill, AB-329. This legislation seeks to ensure that educators in California present adoption as a viable and empowering choice for teens.
Assemblywoman Castillo felt inspired to introduce the bill after a meeting with Terri Marcroft, Executive Director of Unplanned Good. Terri is also an adoptive mother, having adopted her daughter through Lifetime Adoption! Read on to learn more about Terri, the new adoption education bill, and what it means for the future of adoption.
Terri Marcroft and AB-329
Lifetime adoptive mother Terri Marcroft promoted the idea of AB-329 in California, highlighting the need for better education on adoption in schools. She also helped develop and promote the passage of similar laws in Idaho last year.
Terri worked with the California Family Council (CFC) to champion AB-329. Says Greg Burt, Vice President of CFC, “For too long, California schools have ignored adoption in their sex education curricula, leading students to believe abortion is the best and easiest option. AB-329 ensures that students get the full picture when facing an unplanned pregnancy.”
Along with Burt, Terri spoke with California assembly members about the adoption education bill in Idaho and how California students might benefit from a similar bill. After their speech, several assembly members wanted to champion a similar bill in Sacramento. As a result, assembly members created two separate bills:
- Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo (R-Corona) is carrying the K-12 adoption education bill.
- Assemblyman Dave Tangipa (R-Fresno) is carrying the college-level bill.
The college-level bill would require University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) campus medical staff to include adoption information when testing for STIs or distributing contraception.
Here’s a video of Representative Castillo and Terri discussing adoption and what California Assembly Bill 329 would mean:
A Lifetime Adoption Connection
A few months ago, Lifetime Adoption’s Vice President Heather Featherston spoke about Idaho’s new adoption education laws. The Catholic Register interviewed Heather for their article, “Idaho Sets Example for Other States in Promoting Adoption.”
For over 20 years, Heather has been educating pregnant women and others in crisis about adoption. In the article, Heather spoke from her heart about the importance of promoting adoption as a choice.
“Living with the choice of abortion your entire life is hard. I would like to see before a woman can consent to an abortion…that she needs to fully understand her options, not just with parenting, but also her choices, options, and adoption,” Heather shared.
Since 2002, Heather Featherston has been helping pregnant women and educating physicians, clinics, pregnancy centers, and maternity homes about adoption. In The Catholic Register article about Idaho’s new adoption laws, Heather described the many choices women have with adoption, from choosing their child’s adoptive parents to keeping in contact after placement.
Besides her work with Assemblywoman Leticia Castillo, Terri Marcroft also helped develop and promote passage of similar adoption education laws in Idaho last year. About the goal of the laws, Marcroft said, “We’re hoping to build the awareness about adoption and help people to understand open adoption. Let [students] know now about how adoption works…in a calm environment when they’re not in crisis mode.”
California Healthy Youth Act (AB-329)
The core mission of bill AB-329 is to ensure that teachers fairly and thoroughly discuss adoption in California’s public school health education curricula. By including adoption in sex-ed, Castillo’s bill guarantees that no woman feels pressured to decide because of a lack of knowledge or resources.
Per the California Legislative Information website, AB-329
“…requires instruction on pregnancy to include an objective discussion of all legally available pregnancy outcomes, including, but not limited to, parenting, adoption, and abortion. This bill would require the discussion of adoption to include a comprehensive explanation of, and information on, the types of adoption, the rights of a placing birth parent, and specific local adoption resources and support.”
These endeavors will empower the next generation with knowledge, promoting understanding and compassion towards all aspects of adoption. A few states already have laws requiring adoption education, including Idaho, Michigan, South Carolina, Utah, Louisiana, Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas.
What will such laws mean for the future of adoption? “Our hope is that the next generation won’t be choosing between abortion and (single) parenting, without knowing that adoption can be a good, healthy option,” says Terri.
Adoption: The Third Choice
Many women facing an unplanned pregnancy today believe they have only two options: either get an abortion or raise the child.
“Adoption is a worthy option that is often overlooked in discussions about unplanned pregnancies. This bill empowers teens with knowledge about the adoption process, connecting them to resources and support so they can make informed decisions for themselves and their futures,” says Assemblywoman Castillo.
Young women facing unplanned pregnancy rarely even consider adoption because they don’t know much about it or how it has changed over the years. The truth is that less than 1% of women with unplanned pregnancies choose adoption. This is a statistic that the supporters of AB-329 are hoping to change.
“When a teen faces an unplanned pregnancy for one thing, it’s a shock, and they have a hard time thinking about their options when they’re in crisis mode. Adoption has changed so much in the last 25 years that people just really don’t know about open adoption. They don’t understand how much healthier it is these days, how much more transparent it is, and how many of the decisions the pregnant woman gets to make,” explains Terri in a recent YouTube video.
AB-329 is set to update the California Education Code by mandating that adoption is comprehensively addressed in health and sexual education classes. Right now, the state guidelines on this topic are vague. This bill aims to ensure that students receive clear and impartial information about the adoption process, their legal rights, and the counseling and support services that are available.
Adoption Education Laws
Enacting the adoption laws in Idaho and Arkansas was just the beginning. By championing these ideas and sharing them across the nation, we have the potential to drive significant change on a national scale.
AB-329 is now moving forward to the California State Assembly’s Education Committee for review later this month. My fellow Californians, please get in touch with your Assemblymember and encourage them to back AB-329. Every woman should be able to make an informed decision about her pregnancy knowing all her options, including the beautiful choice of adoption.
Editor’s Note: Research and copywriting by Heidi Keefer.
Founder of Lifetime Adoption, adoptive mom, adoption expert, and Certified Open Adoption Practitioner (C.O.A.P).
Since 1986, adoption expert Mardie Caldwell has been dedicated to bringing couples and birth parents together in order to fulfill their dreams.
“Many years ago, I was also searching for a child to adopt. We didn’t know where or how to get started. Through research, determination, and a prayer, our dream of a family became reality. I started with a plan, a notebook, assistance from a caring adoption consultant and a lot of hard work; this was my family I was building. We had a few heartaches along the way, but the pain of not having children was worse!
Within weeks we had three different birth mothers choose us. We were overwhelmed and delighted. Many unsettling events would take place before our adoption would be finalized, many months later. Little did I know that God was training and aligning me for the adoption work I now do today. It is my goal to share with our families the methods and plans which succeed and do not succeed. I believe adoption should be affordable and can be a wonderful “pregnancy” for the adoptive couple.
I have also been on both sides of infertility with the loss of seven pregnancies and then conceiving by new technology, giving birth to a healthy daughter. I have experienced first-hand the emotional pain of infertility and believe my experience allows me to serve your needs better.
It is my hope that for you, the prospective parents, your desire for a child will be fulfilled soon.”
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