About The Third Option

We believe that elevating adoption as a viable, healthy option for those facing unplanned pregnancy is best done through a combination of adoption education and birth parent support.

Adoption Education

We suggest better adoption education for young people facing unplanned pregnancy and also for professionals, students, and the medical community.

Our Flagship Legislation. Adoption education of students is missing in public school curricula. Our first successful bill, Senate Bill 1308, was passed into law during the 2024 Idaho Legislative Session. It says every health/sex ed class (in any grade) that discusses contraception or STDs must also educate about adoption practices today. That means ‘open adoption’. The adoption education must also point out local adoption resources and explain the State’s “Safe Haven” options. The bill also includes college: any campus student clinic that dispenses contraception or tests for STDs must also provide that adoption education. Third Option aims to make adoption education in public schools the standard across the country. This bill was carried by Idaho Senators Den Hartog and VanOrden and House Representative Ehardt, passed by both chambers and signed by Idaho Gov Brad LIttle in March 2024.

Care for Birth Parents

Taking better care of birth mothers is the cornerstone of the Third Option. We recognize that real, multi-tiered birth parent support is missing from the adoption space. Part of Third Option’s mission is to provide needed birth parent support in a variety of formats at no cost to the birth parent. Up until now, birth parents were not provided much in birth parent resources. Birth parents were offered counseling via the adoption agency staff and little else. Now, birth parent resources can be offered to any birth parent who has placed (or is placing) a child for adoption. We encourage all States to become Third Option States.