Much has changed in the adoption world since Roe v. Wade.  Gradually unwed mothers were less shamed.  Many factors came into play to promote social change.  

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In my opinion, DNA fingerprinting was one of the most significant discoveries of the last century, gaining recognition around 1980, and eventually having a major impact on criminal investigations, as well as disputes of paternity.  

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In earlier times, a woman had no way of proving the paternity of her child, making it easy for men to lie or to simply skip town.  For example, Lisa Brennan-Jones was born in 1978 to an unwed mother, who had a relationship with Steve Jobs over a five-year period.  Steve Jobs saw the baby once, and then went on his merry way, leaving mom to raise the baby by herself.  Steve did what many other men did throughout history.

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Lisa's mom had become pregnant in the era after Roe v. Wade, but she obviously did not seek an abortion, though her financial struggle was great (in the absence of financial support from Steve Jobs). 

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But, for many unwed mothers, especially in the 1950s and 60s, the societal expectation was that their babies should be surrendered to adoption.  The emphasis was that adoptive parents had more money to provide for a child, who would then be spared the label of bastard.  

 

Lisa Brennan-Jones has written a book, available at Amazon.com.