Nationwide — More African American women are reportedly making the empowering decision to become single moms by choice. Ashley Hunt, for example, is a Black woman from Chicago who is part of an increasing number of women using assisted reproductive technology to become single moms.
Hunt boldly embraced single motherhood and fulfilled her lifelong dream of having a daughter. She overcame stereotypes about single Black moms, such as “‘welfare queen, promiscuous, million kids with multiple baby daddies and uneducated,’ just all the negative crap that goes along with it,'” she said.
Aside from that, Hunt’s path to motherhood also had hurdles, including fertility treatments costing around $60,000 and dozens of hormone shots. But she doesn’t regret it.
“Despite how challenging it is, it just feels euphoric,” Hunt said.
The trend of Black women using assisted reproductive technology, including IVF, has surged nationally, doubling between 2016 and 2022 and growing significantly in Cook County alone, according to the CDC.
Dr. Amanda Adeleye, one of Chicago’s few Black reproductive endocrinologists, is set to open a new fertility clinic on Wacker Drive in Chicago, catering to single women building families independently.
