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Adoption campaigners are calling for more support to be given to women who have an unplanned pregnancy and want to consider giving up their baby for adoption.

Mothers-to-be in this situation are usually presented with just two options - abortion or keeping the child.

Asist (Adoption Support in Society Today) and the Adoption Forum say that too often adoption is not being presented as a third option and some women are even actively discouraged from considering it by social workers and health visitors.

Liv O' Hanlon, a director of the pressure group the Adoption Forum, said in the group's latest newsletter: "When it comes to unplanned pregnancy, the Adoption Forum takes a simple view: choice is crucial but uninformed choice is no choice at all.

"We do not, and never have preached that this is the answer for all. We only ask that it be considered among the options. For some women it can be the right choice."

It is a view that is supported by Asist which this year relaunched its baby adoption leaflet that aims to dispel many of the out-of-date images of adoption with mothers being forced to sign away their new-born babies.

"We get phone calls from pregnant women who say 'I would like my baby adopted but my social worker or health visitor is saying that it is out of the question,'" said Roz Meikle, of Asist.

In the Adoption Forum newsletter, Hilary Howe of Asist, cites a case were the group was contacted by a three-months' pregnant career woman from Greater Manchester after she had been told dismissively by her local social services department that they didn't do baby adoptions and that they didn't know of any other local adoption agencies.

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