In 1976, Massachusetts Governor Mike Dukakis established a state Adoption Week observance. Massachusetts was the first state to pass a modern adoption law, way back in 1851. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan declared a National Adoption Week. It was President Bill Clinton who expanded the observance to National Adoption Month in 1995. The goal of National Adoption Month is to celebrate and honor all the people involved in the adoption process, from the birth parents who lovingly choose adoptive families for their children to the adoptive parents who provide loving homes for children in need of a stable family life, to those children, to the professionals who make it happen.
National Adoption Month is also a time to increase awareness of adoption and understanding of what adoption is and how it works.
Why do we need National Adoption Month?
It’s always a good time to celebrate adoption, and we celebrate parents and children growing families th=rough adoption every day. But there is a need for greater awareness and understanding of adoption.
First, there are currently more than one hundred thousand children in the United States waiting for their forever homes. Among these children, many fall into groups that are statistically more likely to have to wait for homes:
- Older children, including teens
- Sibling groups, with two or more children needing to be placed together
- Children from ethnic minorities
- Children with special needs
- Children who have experienced trauma
These children are in need of loving homes. There may be families hoping to grow their families through adoption who are not aware of the possibilities.
Second, adoption can still face stigma. False perceptions of adoption and misunderstandings about the process are still out there, and these outmoded attitudes can affect birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted children. Some of the false ideas that persist:
- The idea that birth parents choose adoption because they don’t love or want their children, instead of recognizing that it is a loving choice to do the best thing for their child
- The idea that adoption is a second choice for couples who can’t have biological children, rather than a loving, intentional decision about how to grow a family
- Considering biological connections the most important thing about a family, while in fact the connections of love and respect are paramount
- Old-fashioned ideas about keeping adoption secret can encourage stigma, uncertainty, and even shame about adoption
Education is important
When people have an opportunity to learn more about adoption, they often discover that their beliefs are in need of a tune-up. Information and open discussion give people a chance to rethink damaging beliefs.
Considering adoption? Heimer Law offers a free consultation.
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