Adoption as an Option Isn't a Welcome Suggestion in Conversations on Abortion
I'm finding that on Facebook when there is a conversation thread in favor of abortion that offering the suggestion that adoption is a good alternative to abortion is not usually a welcome addition to the conversation. Often it gets you roundly denounced.
It seems that when people are dead set on abortion, they don't want to hear about alternatives that might allow the child to be born and live. The reasons for this are varied.
One reason given is that there is so much abuse that goes on in the foster care system that you don't know if that child will end up in a good situation or not. (so I guess, disposing of the child much like euthanasia for dogs is a better approach?). There are many uncertainties of life. Should I quit driving because I might get in a car accident? So, should we dispose of the unborn because we don't know if adoption would be good or bad for them or what kind of life they might have?
This is flawed reasoning for not going through with the pregnancy and putting the child up for adoption. Yes, the foster/adopt system is flawed. I'll be the first to admit that.
We tried to sign up for foster/adopt and ended up withdrawing our application out of frustration. I am also familiar with a situation where foster parents wanted to adopt the child they were fostering and as soon as they indicated this desire the caseworker removed the child from their home. So yes, the system is flawed through the state.
However, private and/or Christian adoption agencies for some strange reason are never talked about. Some sources estimate that there are about 2 million couples currently waiting to adopt in the United States — which means there are as many as 36 waiting families for every one child who is placed for adoption.
It seems that when people are dead set on abortion, they don't want to hear about alternatives that might allow the child to be born and live. The reasons for this are varied.
One reason given is that there is so much abuse that goes on in the foster care system that you don't know if that child will end up in a good situation or not. (so I guess, disposing of the child much like euthanasia for dogs is a better approach?). There are many uncertainties of life. Should I quit driving because I might get in a car accident? So, should we dispose of the unborn because we don't know if adoption would be good or bad for them or what kind of life they might have?
This is flawed reasoning for not going through with the pregnancy and putting the child up for adoption. Yes, the foster/adopt system is flawed. I'll be the first to admit that.
We tried to sign up for foster/adopt and ended up withdrawing our application out of frustration. I am also familiar with a situation where foster parents wanted to adopt the child they were fostering and as soon as they indicated this desire the caseworker removed the child from their home. So yes, the system is flawed through the state.
However, private and/or Christian adoption agencies for some strange reason are never talked about. Some sources estimate that there are about 2 million couples currently waiting to adopt in the United States — which means there are as many as 36 waiting families for every one child who is placed for adoption.
Private agencies are much different. Many allow the birth mother to choose who gets her child and to get regular updates on her child if she so chooses. Couples pay a large sum of money to adopt through most private agencies, which helps to weed out those who are only interested for motives that are less than noble. The price is discouraging and was discouraging to us when we were looking to adopt, but we were willing to entertain it.
For some birth mothers, adoption can be a good experience. Of course, it's hard to give the child up when you have carried it for 9 months. There is going to be some separation mourning. But if the birth mother is counseled and supported through a crises pregnancy center or some other avenue, it can make the transition easier. It can be a positive thing for both birth mom and adoptive parents. I'm not saying it always will be, just that it can be.
A similar statement earned me an attack on Facebook. My comment was based on testimony, by both birth mothers and adoptees, I had seen on the internet. It was roundly rejected and I was told to go out and adopt several children right away after making a comment like that, which was laughable considering my age and my husband's problems. We would not be accepted by any adoption agency due to these circumstances, but people regardless of the fact that they know nothing about your circumstances will make stupid judgments and demands of you if you suggest something they don't want to hear about.
I was encouraged that the Planned Parenthood webpage at least offers adoption as a viable alternative to abortion. I don't know if that is offered to girls that walk in to their clinics or not, but at least it is on their website.
It is frustrating that the mere suggestion of adoption given in a conversation thread on abortion is met with such hostility. I just don't get it. The only thing I can think of is that people are conditioned, by the news media and liberal thinking in institutions of learning, to think of a developing baby in the womb as nothing but a foreign object in the body of the mother, therefore it deserves to be disposed of much like a cancer tumor and anybody who thinks differently is simply judgemental and holier than thou. Sadly, this is the case among those who claim to be Christians as well. It just makes me sad.
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