Reply #58: Plus there's the social stigma.

[wickerwoman]

Let's say you have a job and you acidentally get pregnant. If you bring the baby to term and give birth chances are good that your neighbors, co-workers, etc are going to notice. And you're going to spend month fending off questions about "what are you going to name it" and "when is it due" and "what do you mean you're giving it up for adoption". Think about how many thousands of conversations you would have to have about what is essentially a private choice and how many years you would have to continue to be known as the woman who gave her kid away.

That would probably be the deciding factor for me- even if I didn't lose my job, I wouldn't want to face people judging me for the rest of my life.

On edit: Also, a substantial number of abortions are performed on older women who already have 2 or 3 kids and can't afford another one. How are you supposed to explain to your older kids "Mommy's having another baby, but she can't afford to keep it so we're giving it away. Be good, or you'll be next!" Talk about giving your kid a complex for life!