Do People Here Feel There’s a Difference in Adoption Between…?
Question by Robin: Do people here feel there’s a difference in adoption between…?
…adopting a newborn vs. a child from foster care? Children in foster care have parents who are unable to parent their child for a variety of reasons (in my area, most often due to drug addiction). Do you believe that these children need stable, loving, permanent homes? If not, what option do you see for them?
Adopting a newborn most often occurs b/c a mother feels unprepared to be a mother – whether due to her financial situation, her age, the family support available to her (or not). With proper support, she may be able to mother her own child. It should be her choice, but not one made under duress or out of fear. Yes?
What are your thoughts? Is adoption of a child from foster care (or those orphaned) different than adopting a newborn? Also, was adoption ‘different’ 40+ years ago than it is today? Open vs. sealed? Fewer newborns available with the stigma of being unwed minimized & women choosing to keep their child?
Do these factors influence your opinions? If so, how?
I ask these questions primarily b/c it sometimes seems that we all have POV’s from very different perspectives based on these very difference circumstances. Yet we don’t acknowledge these differences when debating the good & bad of adoption.
In some ways, the issues surrounding adoption are similar, or far worse, or somewhat better.
Did open adoption arise in response to the drop in available infants that followed unwed mothers choosing to keep & raise their children?
In 1970, approx. 80% of unwed mothers relinquished. By 1983, the percentage dropped to approx. 4%.
In the 60’s, there was no “open adoption”. Presently, open adoption is not enforceable, so is it only a “promise” to help facilitate a mother’s decision to relinquish?
This is the point of my questions. Do we take into consideration the variety of factors that have causes & affects adoption? Just wondering…
ETA: Newborns from foster care are still “foster children” that have been removed from their parents (often for drug addiction, as I mentioned above). Their mothers typically don’t make the decision to relinquish, but rather have their parental rights terminated.
I’m shocked and saddened to hear of adoptive parents who felt differently toward their children whose age difference at adoption was only 10 months! Very disturbing!
ALL babies are born with a ‘personality’. I firmly believe in the scientific studies that have proven humans are not born as ‘blank slates’. Our environments influence those inherit personality traits, building on or minimizing them.
Best answer:
Answer by Imsosnky
…adopting a newborn vs. a child from foster care?
YES BIG DIFFERENCE
Children in foster care have parents who are unable to parent their child for a variety of reasons (in my area, most often due to drug addiction). Do you believe that these children need stable, loving, permanent homes? OFCOURSE THEY DO
If not, what option do you see for them? N/A
Adopting a newborn most often occurs b/c a mother feels unprepared to be a mother – whether due to her financial situation, her age, the family support available to her (or not). With proper support, she may be able to mother her own child. It should be her choice, but not one made under duress or out of fear. Yes? CORRECT
What are your thoughts? Is adoption of a child from foster care (or those orphaned) different than adopting a newborn? YES
Also, was adoption ‘different’ 40+ years ago than it is today? YES
Open vs. sealed?BOTH ARE DIFFERENT THAN 40 YRS AGO
Fewer newborns available with the stigma of being unwed minimized & women choosing to keep their child? YES
Do these factors influence your opinions? NO If so, how? N/A
What do you think? Answer below!