UPDATE: Ten years after placing her daughter for adoption, Aspen Rawson is shining a spotlight on the emotional toll of the American adoption system. In a TikTok video posted on July 3, which has amassed over 700,000 views, the 27-year-old from Denver, Colorado, opened up about her harrowing experience, resonating with thousands of viewers.
Rawson candidly reflected, “Ten years ago today, I signed away my parental rights placing my newborn daughter up for adoption in the state of Texas…I was 17, basically homeless…I think about my daughter every single day.” Her heartfelt message has sparked widespread discussions about the complexities and emotional ramifications of adoption in the U.S.
In an exclusive interview with Newsweek, Rawson shared the events that led her to make this life-altering decision as a teenager. At just 16 years old, she found herself homeless, living in her boyfriend’s car when she discovered she was pregnant. Although Roe v. Wade was still in effect, Texas’s restrictive abortion laws posed significant barriers. “To access abortion, I would have needed either parental consent or a judge’s approval,” she explained, expressing her fears about her parents’ potential disapproval.
Rawson’s decision came to a head in a mall bathroom, where she realized, “I knew what I needed to do.” Weeks of outreach to adoption agencies followed, but responses were slow, with many unwilling to engage until she was past her first trimester. Ultimately, a family friend connected her with prospective adoptive parents, leading to their initial meeting at Starbucks in early 2015.
During her pregnancy, Rawson was matched with a supportive social worker who assisted her with food and medical care. She described the adoptive parents as “loving, kind, compassionate, and smart people who will do anything for their baby girl.” However, the emotional weight of the separation was unavoidable. “No amount of safeguarding will protect you from the post-birth hormonal crash and physical pain that comes with placing a deeply loved child,” she said.
Remarkably, Rawson has maintained contact with her daughter, a rarity in open adoptions. “I still have contact with my daughter at 10 years old. I am one of the lucky ones,” she stated in her video. Her social media presence has grown significantly since she began sharing her story in 2020, reaching over a million people in the past year alone.
Now, Rawson is using her platform to advocate for reform within the adoption system, highlighting the industry’s lucrative nature. “The industry brings in over $1 billion per year and there are no legal protections for birth parents,” she revealed. As abortion access continues to diminish across the country, she argues that the national conversation about adoption must evolve.
“I share my story to bring attention to the complex and traumatic reality of the U.S. private adoption industry,” Rawson emphasized. “This is not a small issue. We need comprehensive reform in our country that works to keep families together and educates teenagers about pregnancy prevention.”
Rawson’s powerful narrative challenges the commonly held perception of adoption as purely positive, urging society to engage in dialogue about its implications. “I don’t believe strangers should be proud of me for a choice I made under duress,” she stated. Her mission is not to seek sympathy but to encourage critical thought regarding an industry that affects countless lives.
As more than 100,000 private adoptions have occurred since her daughter was born, Rawson’s call for reform is more pressing than ever. “We need to ensure that promises made to birth parents before placement are legally enforceable,” she concluded.
This story has the potential to reshape conversations around adoption and its impact on families across America. Stay tuned for further updates on this developing story.
