Adoption: Judith Fleming and Amy Seek
The perspectives of two women at opposite ends of the adoption process in the US and UK
The Conversation · BBC World Service
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Show Notes
Kim Chakanetsa brings together two women from the US and UK, who have been at either end of the adoption process, to reflect on their choices.
Judith Fleming is an actor and writer based in the UK who decided to adopt a child, on her own, at the age of 40. We are using a different name to protect Judith's and her son's privacy. Judith looked through many profiles, but says when she saw a picture of her son she knew he was the one and she had to be his mum. Judith's open with her little boy about his identity and he knows that she didn't "grow him in her tummy".
Amy Seek is an architect from America and got pregnant at the age of 22. She made the difficult choice to give her child up in an "open adoption" and went through a painstaking process of trying to find the right family for him. Sixteen years on and Amy still lives with the pain of her decision, but she does have a relationship with her son. She reveals that they haven't had an in-depth talk about the circumstances of his adoption and hopes one day he will understand how hard it was for her to make that choice.
Photo: Judith Fleming and Amy Seek with Kim Chakanetsa in the studio, Credit: BBC