Visitors Planet

What can you tell me about the Florence Crittenton homes that are still in existence?

I'd much prefer to hear from first mothers, or others who have done extensive research on this. A friend told me that she is going to work for a Florence Crittenton home, and I know these same homes have a very sordid past. Are they the same types of homes now, or do they help Mothers keep their babies, or...? Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Public Comments

1. It wasn't a 'home', per se, but when I was pregnant as a teenager, I went to a Florence Crittenton center that gave prenatal care (it was a residency program for doctors doing a residency in OB), nutritional advice and counseling. It was not a residential unit, where pregnant woman could live, though. And no, nobody pressured me into adoption. It was never even brought up. ETA: This was in the early 90s.
2. These homes have a very long history. Not all of it was sordid. Their history spans 3 centuries...beginning in the 19th century. The Barrett family started the homes. They helped single women to keep and raise their children. This lasted until around WW2 when the gov't adoption industry pressured the homes to join in the white baby trade. During the 1970s the infant adoption business again began to drop. Mothers' rights were being fought for through the women's movement. The FLo Crit homes began to stop pushing adoption and became schools and education centers for single mothers who were keeping their babies(more like they had been in the past).