Respect Life: Adoption

Adoption is the greatest act of love!

First, here are some facts about adoption.[1]

There are 1.5 million adopted children in the US. Although no more than 2% of Americans have been adopted, more than 1/3 of Americans have considered adoption.
Around 140,000 children are adopted by American families each year.
In 2015, over 670,000 children spent time in foster care in the US.
The average child waits for an adoptive family for more than three years.
Every year there are about 1.3 million abortions. Only 4% of the women with unwanted pregnancies place their children through adoption.

Second, here are some common misconceptions about adoption:[2]

“An adopted child won’t be loved as much as a biological child”
This fear is unfounded. Even before they first lay eyes on their adopted baby, adoptive parents report a great deal of love for the child a perspective mother carries. For evidence of this love, look no further than how adoptive parent interact with adopted children. According to the National Survey of Adoptive Parents, nearly 3 out of 4 adopted children ages 0-5 are read to or sung to every day, compared with only half of non-adopted children who receive the same attention from their biological parents.
“My child will hate me for placing up for adoption.”
Actual child adoption facts show that over 90 percent of adoptees ages 5 and older have positive feelings about their adoption. Most adopted children are raised in happy homes by loving adoptive parents, so why would an adopted child hate his birth parents, the ones who provided him with an opportunity for a good home?

[1] Source: Adoption Network Law Center – “Helping Build Families One Miracle at a Time®” Toll Free 1 800-595-8954

[2] Source: Important Adoption Statistics to Know- Combatting Common Misconceptions About Adoption-American Adoptions.Com