The Future of Adoption

German philosopher Arthur Schopenhaur wrote, “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” For some mothers, Arthur Schopenhaur's words can also pertain to the adoption indyustry.

As more and more natural mothers and adopted people speak out about their experiences we can expect a rapid shift into the last group -- the opposition. Right now, the future of adoption is an uncertain thing. Growing in popularity and backed by wealthy agencies and individuals, people who have yet to see the industry’s dark side in their own lives are unlikely to question adoption practices at all. While adoption might be the best case scenario in some situatins, it's important that mothers and supporters of mothers educate and understand all aspects of the adoption industry before jumping in head first. 

Legislating Parental Protection

Legislation and government regulations play an important role in the area of adoption. Family advocates support extending the time period during which the mother of a newborn cannot sign any papers allowing her child to be adopted. We also believe that parents should have a reasonable amount of time during which they can revoke their consent and have their babies immediately returned. No amount of counseling can prepare a mother for the reality of surrendering her child, but a revocation period of at least 90 days would give her the opportunity to recover from birth and more fully comprehend the experience of losing a child to adoption.

Family advocates also lobby that parents who surrender in an open adoption cannot be arbitrarily cut out of their children’s lives. Activist organizations are always interested in signing up new volunteers who can help draft legislation and lobby for needed changes to current adoption laws. If you have previous public policy experience, you can donate your time and efforts to the organizations like Adoption: Legalized Lies, “birth-“ Mothers Exploited By Adoption, and Adoption Crossroads. Each of these groups is supportive of legal changes that will protect future families from the predatory adoption industry.

The Guardianship Alternative

Children whose parents are unwilling or unable to raise them deserve safe homes where they can receive love and care without sacrificing their identities. Legal guardianship allows both extended family members and compassionate strangers to take custody of a child in need. Unlike adoption, guardianship has no provisions for altering the child's original name or birth certificate; caregivers are not the legal equivalent of parents, though they are able to make decisions on the child's behalf. Guardians can be required to maintain contact between the child and his or her natural family whenever possible, and the arrangement can be re-evaluated if those involved feel that it no longer suits the child's best interests. Guardianship is an existing legal option, but it will take advocacy and action to see it implemented on a routine basis.

Eradicating Adoption

Though the adoption industry has fluctuated extensively over the past 30 years, one of the biggest trends is that more and more parents and adopted people are speaking about their experiences. Progressive publications are beginning to look at adoption through a critical lens and making steps to improve the present state of the adoption industry. The anti-adoption movement may be small, but it is growing in number and strength, not unlike women's suffrage, which was originally dismissed as radical or implausible.