Op-Ed: Through Adoption We Can Save the World for One Child

Because of politics, drugs, unfair trade, illness, greed, poverty, and so many other reasons, there are too many children in the world without families. We can't change the whole world overnight, but through adoption we can change the whole world for a child.

A loving family is vital to every human being. A child is denied this basic human right by living in an institution. But we know that a person can only adopt through a deep desire to parent. Any attempt to adopt a child with the idea of being charitable, is unfair and damaging to everyone involved.  So how can more people choose adoption? I think that exposure to adoptive families and reliable information really helps.  

I had unexplained secondary infertility and wish I had not  made myself so miserable trying to have a biological child for so many years, before taking what was at the time, a leap of faith. I was only able to do this, after meeting several happy adoptive families. Now adoption seems so easy to me, and I am amazed that I didn't consider it immediately.

I could not love my children more if I had given birth to them, and they are the joy of my life. They are beautiful, smart, healthy, loving, and excel in so many arenas. I am a very proud mama! Quite frankly, my husband and I joke about some of our genetic heritage that we are very relieved to have possibly avoided passing on! We all have a relative somewhere who can ruin the holidays, right? We cannot control genetics. I think you throw the dice the same way whether you have a child biologically or adopt your child. There are strengths in each child, and areas that need work in every one of us.

I must confess that If I hadn't experienced infertility, I probably would not have adopted. My only regret is that I hesitated to adopt at all.  Adoption has taught me more about myself and love than any other life experience.  I now wish that we could all consider adoption as a regular way to grow our family. If every family on the planet adopted one child, we would end so much human suffering, while bringing joy to our own lives. 

Thankfully there does seem to be a growing trend towards families being able to choose adoption first, or having their children both biologically and through adoption.

How we grow our families is deeply personal. I just wish that everyone could meet my family and the dozens of adoptive families in Montclair alone to see how love can't tell the difference between bloodlines. Then I'd ask everyone to remember what we were like when we were kids, and to take a look at the profiles of the children on the Kidsave website. We are all the same, and we need each other.

I advocate for children who need parents, because fate brought me here, and I, like many others, have experienced the joy of this win-win situation.