The point of adoption is to create families. When speaking of U.S. domestic adoption, the concept is as basic as the pairing of a woman with an unplanned pregnancy who does not feel she is prepared to raise the child growing inside her with a parent or couple who is ready to care for a child. Many of the hopeful adoptive parents who come to adoption agencies are unable to get pregnant themselves. Instead of having to accept that they will never be parents, they can hope to receive the ultimate gift from an expectant mother who is looking for the best-fit family for her child. When an adoption is at its finest, it is a win-win-win situation benefitting the birth mother, adoptive family, and most importantly, the child.
The point of adoption is to give options to a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy. A woman in this situation has three options: she could have an abortion, she could parent the child, or she could place the child with a family ready to raise him/her. Many women do not see abortion as an option due to their religious, political, or ethical beliefs. This leaves them with two options: parenting or placing. An expectant mother is able to seek out an adoption agency, cost-free, to have her rights and options explained to her by an adoption professional. She is in no way obligated to place her child after receiving this assistance. It is simply a free service so she can make the best decision for herself and her child. In many cases, the woman will decide to place her child for adoption and will still be able to be a part of the child’s life.
The point of adoption is to act in the best interest of the child. Then an expectant mother is able to put aside her own strong feelings of love and nurturing and make the painful choice that another family will be able to provide a life that she cannot. That is truly acting in the best interest of the child. When the adoptive parents choose open adoption, that is acting in the child’s best interest. Open adoption may not be the right choice in every situation, but as long as the adoptive parents make that choice thinking of the child, it is the right choice.
Adoption has the power to create families, give expectant mothers options when they desperately need a sense of control, and should always act in the best interest of the child. So, in summary, I suppose the point of adoption is love.
