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Jack Barnett

Nobles

English III Honors

8 October 2019

Adoption

There are approximately 135,000 children adopted in the United States every year. This

includes children adopted from the foster care system, domestic agencies, family members, and

from other countries. Adoption is defined as the action or fact of legally taking another’s child

and bringing it up as one’s own, or just the fact of being adopted. This is becoming a more

common practice in the US for an abundance of reasons. Adoption by the American family is a

growing concept because it is a way for Cchristian parents to combat a rise in abortion rates, for

older parents to extend their family without the risk of a failed pregnancy, and for more

privileged families to provide opportunities to the unwanted or disabled population. Adoption Commented [1]: Good introductory paragraph, but
make sure that you cite your sources, even if you don't
directly cite them.
has become very common among religious parents, due to current issues regarding abortion laws

and policies. Currently, abortion laws are becoming looser to make abortions easier to perform in

states like California, New Hampshire, and Montana. Other states, like Mississippi, North

Dakota, and Louisiana are strengthening their abortion laws in order to make adoptions a less

realistic way to handle an unwanted child. Adoption would be the preferred solution to an

unwanted child in those states, and Christian parents who do not agree with the idea of abortiom

are taking advantage of the situation. In a report regarding Christian parents and their

motivations to adopt, author Michael Firmin says “parents in our study indicated that their

motivation was primarily theological or spiritual in nature.” (24). If problems continue to arise

regarding the argument of whether or not abortion is entirely ethical or necessary, Christian
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parents will continue to adopt in order to communicate their views on abortion. These parents are

typically older parents who are secure in their religious beliefs and may have some experience in

raising children.

In many cases, older parents will choose to adopt in order to avoid certain risks that come

with pregnancy later in life. One of the main risks is the increase in a chance of the child being

born with a genetic defect of some kind, such as Down syndrome, schizophrenia, or autism

spectrum disorder. Other problems exist, including the fact that it is harder to become pregnant

later in life, or that the mother could face certain health problems during pregnancy. These

problems may turn certain parents away from pregnancy later in life, but there are still benefits to

raising children later in life. Older parents are more mature, more financially secure, and more

experienced. Because older parents are usually experienced in raising children, taking on the

challenge of adopting and raising unwanted children can be a challenge many consider later in

life. The New York Times author Anita Brookner says that “In most cases, the children are older Commented [2]: your font changes color here. Make
sure it stays black.
and have special needs; it is rare for an older adult to adopt an infant, according to national

adoption groups .”(4). More disabled and unwanted children are being adopted everyday, and

more parents are growing families of adopted children in the US.

Adopting disabled or unwanted children is a very serious decision when it comes to

adoption. Children born with mental or physical handicaps can be a huge burden on families for

a multitude of reasons. Parents who want to adopt disabled children should ask themselves if

they think they are ready mentally, emotionally, and physically to take care of this child. Because

it’s more common for older parents to adopt children with special needs, it’s important for them

to decide whether or not they could take care of the child physically. All mental disorders are

taken into account when a child is labeled as having special needs, which means that children
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with emotional or anger problems would be included. Taking care of these children can be

physically demanding because as an adult it could be necessary to control and discipline that

child at a certain time. Parents who want to adopt these children should also ask themselves if

they are financially sound enough to care for a special needs child. Federal and state programs

offer financial assistance to adoptive parents for special assistance and services based on the

child’s needs, but it won’t completely cover the costs of taking care of a special needs child.

Editors of Baby Magazine say that, “In the United States, more than 110,000 children with

special needs are waiting for permanent homes .”(Niesslein 2). That is a lot of children with

special needs that need to find a home, but more families are welcoming these children into their

homes everyday, in hopes to serve the special needs population. Commented [3]: Extremely well-written paragraph.

Currently, adoption is an extremely important part of the American family. From children

with special needs to children from other countries, there will always be those who have been

neglected for certain reasons. This is a sad reality for many parents and children, but the practice

of adoption is on the rise in America, giving these children a second chance at a life they could

have never had. Many religious families, older parents, or just the more fortunate families are

recognizing this, and are using their views and their experiences to combat the neglect and

provide homes for unwanted children. Commented [4]: Good conclusion!

Works Cited
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American Baby magazine, and American Baby. “Adopting a Child with Special Needs.”

Parents, www.parents.com/parenting/adoption/parenting/adopting-a-child-with-special-

needs/.

CBS News. “Abortion: 19 States with Toughest Laws.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 27 July

2011, www.cbsnews.com/pictures/abortion-19-states-with-toughest-laws/20/.

Korkki, Phyllis. “Filling Up an Empty Nest.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15

May 2013, www.nytimes.com/2013/05/15/business/retirementspecial/some-older-adults-

are-adopting-children.html.

Matthiessen, Connie, and Anthony Propst. “Age and Fertility: Getting Pregnant in Your 40s.”

BabyCenter, www.babycenter.com/0_age-and-fertility-getting-pregnant-in-your-

40s_1494699.bc.

“An Overview of Abortion Laws.” Guttmacher Institute, 1 Oct. 2019,

www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/overview-abortion-laws.