A、She was afraid she’d be alone forever. B、She wanted to have a perfect family. C、She was financially and mentally ready. D、She

In the not-so distant past, most people thought that when a woman reached her 40s it was too late for her to have children. The time on her biological clock had run out. Well, that has changed. These days some women are resetting their biological clocks. They are giving themselves more time to have children.
    Make no mistake. Being a "Single Mother by Choice" is very different from younger women who find themselves pregnant, perhaps not by choice. Generally speaking, single mothers by choice are older and well educated. They are usually financially secure and successful in their careers. So, they have the money. What they may not have is a partner. These women find themselves in their late 30s or early 40s, single and wanting children.
    This is the place in life where writer Kerry Reichs found herself several years ago. She says she did not plan to become a single mother. She says she just did not find the right partner.
    "Well, you certainly don’t wake up when you’re a ten-year-old girl and think, ’Someday I want to be a single mother all by myself.’ So I think I had a set of standards for the partner I was looking for and I didn’t meet anyone who fit those standards. And, at 39 I found myself single, without children and I wanted them very much. So, I decided to do this on my own."
    She says it was a difficult decision. It meant giving up on the idea, the fantasy, of having the "perfect" family. In the end, she decided that she had the resources and the temperament, or mental ability to do it. Kerry Reichs chose to get pregnant from an anonymous sperm donor. She says the experience was surreal, too strange to be real.
    There have also been changes in U.S. public opinion toward unmarried women having children. There is no longer a social stigma on a woman having a baby without a partner. But single mothers by choice do have their critics. Conservative groups and social commentators say that choosing to become a single mom is not good for the child, families or society. However, according to Kerry Reichs, this is not a decision women come to easily. She says for many if not most women this is a decision of last resort, meaning there are no other choices for them.
    There apparently still exists a lot to explore and discuss, but one thing is sure: ’Single Mother By Choice" opens up a new possibility for women today with new conceptions of family.
16. In the past, what did people think of women in their 40s?
17. How does "Single Mother By Choice" differ from younger women who’re pregnant unplanned?
18. Why did Kerry Reichs decide to become a "single mother by choice"?
19. What is the U.S. public opinion toward single mothers by choice?