The National Council for Adoption (NCFA) understands that the best interests of children can be served through adoption. In a recent article by Charles T. Kenny, Ph.D., this reality is highlighted.
“After working through their fears and conflicts, birthmothers choose adoption because they believe that it is best for their children. They realize that adoption is not abandonment; it is a loving, responsible act. By choosing what is best for their children, birthmothers see themselves as good mothers. Instead of feeling like bad mothers for abandoning children or “giving them away,” they now begin to see that placing their children with loving couples is what it means for them to be good mothers. They redeem themselves, transforming their mistakes into positive outcomes. Adoption allows them to recover their self-esteem, restore their identity, and renew their dreams and goals.” See the entire article here: https://www.adoptioncouncil.org/infant-adoption/publications.html . The Adoption Advocate is a publication created by NCFA to educate policymakers, families, child welfare specialists, and other interested parties on today's most relevant child welfare issues.
The best interests of women can also be served by adoption. How can women and the general public be comfortable with adoption as an alternative to abortion or crisis parenting? Read the article by Paul Swope, of LifeNet Services that explains this phenomenon, and how to discuss the life of an unborn child or a new baby in terms that will be better received by women in unplanned pregnancies and their families.
I recently heard that some Christians push back on the subject of adoption. Being a Christian I was surprised and honestly do not understand why. Initially my plan was to respond to their concerns with this post, but I’m not sure what would cause the pushback. Personally, I feel that adopting a child is one of the most Christian like acts a person can do.
ReplyDeleteIn an attempt to find an answer, I decided to search online and see what I was missing. During my search, I found the article below. The article is a summary of why Christians should adopt. On the webpage, the Christian Advocates for Adoption summarize four reasons why Christians should adopt, explain how all parties are benefitted, gives biblical references, and reminds us that when Christians adopt we demonstrate love to the watching world. I recognize that the website doesn’t answer the question I posed at the beginning of this post, but I thought it was worth sharing.
http://www.cafadopt.org/adopt_why.html
I am still interested in what the opposing viewpoint is. I never found a specific answer, and I would appreciate any comments that explain the entire issue/debate.
-John Batchelor
I completely agree with Charles T. Kenny's article. These women should feel good about their decision to make the most out of a bad situation. They all selflessly decide to carry their child to term and give it a chance at life. It is so heartbreaking that many of these mothers see themselves as failing since they are unable to care for the child themselves. They should be applauded for considering the best interest of their child and realizing that someone else could better care for their baby. I can not even imagine how hard it must be to see your child being given to another family, but these women are able to do it. They are strong responsible individuals who choose life when they are unfortunately able to choose a much easier option in abortion.
ReplyDeleteSarah Lanciault- I really like the reality of the comment made by NDFA. Often as pro-life believers that have never been in the situation before, we quickly without thought ask why a woman in a crisis pregnancy would not just give her baby up for adoption? But these women are everyday people with hopes and dreams like the rest of us. I still think that the question is one that needs to be asked but with understanding. The NDFA states, "Adoption allows them to recover their self-esteem, restore their identity, and renew their dreams and goals." Abortionists claim that abortion will achieve the same result or will even go farther to say that women will regret choosing adoption. After talking to real women who have experienced the two options, the one who is tells the truth withstands the actual experiences of women.
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