Adoption in Canada

Pro-lifers often promote adoption as a "loving option" for women who cannot parent their babies.

But the involvement with adoption often does not go beyond this.

I was inspired to research orphans and adoption in Canada after listening to a Focus on the Family radio program on adoption. It said that there are over 125 000 orphans in the US. The Adoption Council of Canada says that there are an estimated 22 000 children waiting for adoption.

We often hear that there aren't many children to adopt. It is said that it takes many years to find a child to adopt.

I think this saying hides many realities.

It is true that newborns available for adoption are rare.But there are many parents out there who will consider an older child. Only ten per cent of parents will not conisder a child older than age two.

First off, the adoption process is somewhat cumbersome. It can discourage parents.

There has also been a new trend in social work in the US. Whereas in past decades, social workers would aim to reunite children with their families, now they are more ready to terminate parental rights. That has led to a greater number of potential adoptees. Since trends like these tend to spill over into Canada, I wonder if this tendency hasn't increased the number of available children

Potential adoptees are thus often older kids, or kids with special needs.

These children are not easy to parent.

It's been estimated that eleven to eighteen percent of adoptions "fail". That means the parents do not proceed with the adoption through the probationary period. I can't imagine what it would be like to be an adopted child whose parents decided they couldn't cope.

Adoption is thus a somewhat complex affair. Babies who are not aborted and placed for adoption will almost certainly find homes, especially if they are healthy. Children who grow up in dysfunctional families have a tougher time.

I do think that a true culture of life has to consider this issue of adoption. Social conservatives consider the family from many angles, especially ones dealing with life and death. We are expected to reject the contraceptive mentality and be open to whatever blessings God gives us.

But wouldn't it be, collectively speaking, just as contraceptive, to not want to parent these children and help them find their place in the world?

More information about adoption can be found at the Adoption Council of Canada website.

The ACC launched Canada's Waiting Kids. It's a website that features children waiting for adoption.