Madonna's adoption

[Teresa]

I was thinking that in addition to adopting a kid, Madonna should do some condom commercials.

:clap_1: I'm surprised she hasn't done a condom awareness campaign. maybe she's waiting til her kids are teenagers.

maybe she isn't the right person to do it though - many folks (not me) would just say "look at that ole slut pushing condoms to our little innocent children... "

 

[Mango]

There are so many children in our OWN country that are orphans and need a home and someone to love them. If I was going to adopt, it would be here, and that is all I have to say about that.

People go to foreign countries to adopt simply because the people in those countries do not have access to the welfare systems like we do in this country. Foreigners do not necessarily want to put their babies up for adoption, but they are so dirt poor, they can not afford to keep them.
People in Russia drop even their older children off in orphanages because they can not feed them and go to visit them there (some do not put them up for adoption) Then there are ethnic issues. Chinese and Indian people still view girls as worthless. In Russia, less girls for adoption since they feel they will take care of them in old age.
Here because we do have welfare systems to help mothers, less children are put up for adoption. Other countries do not have these benefits.
The (older)children that are up for adoption in the USA have some real severe learning disabilities, retardation, severe handicaps,have physically and mentally abused, and although those children need a home, quite a few people are not up for that daunting challenge of adopting these children and spending the rest of their lives taking care of them. I have to give it to the people who do adopt these children.

 

[Smiling JOe]

People go to foreign countries to adopt simply because the people in those countries do not have access to the welfare systems like we do in this country. Foreigners do not necessarily want to put their babies up for adoption, but they are so dirt poor, they can not afford to keep them.
People in Russia drop even their older children off in orphanages because they can not feed them and go to visit them there (some do not put them up for adoption) Then there are ethnic issues. Chinese and Indian people still view girls as worthless. In Russia, less girls for adoption since they feel they will take care of them in old age.
Here because we do have welfare systems to help mothers, less children are put up for adoption. Other countries do not have these benefits.
The (older)children that are up for adoption in the USA have some real severe learning disabilities, retardation, severe handicaps,have physically and mentally abused, and although those children need a home, quite a few people are not up for that daunting challenge of adopting these children and spending the rest of their lives taking care of them. I have to give it to the people who do adopt these children.

...and here I was thinking it had to do with abortion being legal.

 

[peapod1980]

Here because we do have welfare systems to help mothers, less children are put up for adoption. Other countries do not have these benefits.
The (older)children that are up for adoption in the USA have some real severe learning disabilities, retardation, severe handicaps,have physically and mentally abused, and although those children need a home, quite a few people are not up for that daunting challenge of adopting these children and spending the rest of their lives taking care of them. I have to give it to the people who do adopt these children.

Very true, Mango, credit is due the people who choose those kids; I've known several of those parents personally, and the families face a lot of challenges. There is, unfortunately, no shortage of those kids in our system. What does make me sad, though, is that there are healthy minority babies who wait for homes either because of their ethnicity or the uncertainty of their potential health issues due to them being born to drug-addicted mothers. Sometimes the "risk" can result in a big reward.

 

[Mango]

Very true, Mango, credit is due the people who choose those kids; I've known several of those parents personally, and the families face a lot of challenges. There is, unfortunately, no shortage of those kids in our system. What does make me sad, though, is that there are healthy minority babies who wait for homes either because of their ethnicity or the uncertainty of their potential health issues due to them being born to drug-addicted mothers. Sometimes the "risk" can result in a big reward.

Agreed Peapod, the risk can result in a big reward, but the risks are huge. Not only drug addiction, but Fetal Alcohol syndrome can be also difficult to diagnose in a baby. I used to volunteer at a childrens group home, and some of those children were afflicted with this, and they were extremely difficult to handle, violent etc.
Then there's the issue of raising an ethnic child for a lot of people, not to mention the difficulty for the child as he/she reaches school age etc.
Issues that can be overhelming for most people, hence why we do not see as many public adoptions of kids in the system.
While I volunteered for this agency, I became attached to an African American boy about 8. We considered the possibility of adopting him had his Aunt not come forward to do so, but I do not think I would have ever considered adopting any of the other children he was housed with due to the above reasons.

 

[peapod1980]

Agreed Peapod, the risk can result in a big reward, but the risks are huge. Not only drug addiction, but Fetal Alcohol syndrome can be also difficult to diagnose in a baby. I used to volunteer at a childrens group home, and some of those children were afflicted with this, and they were extremely difficult to handle, violent etc.
Then there's the issue of raising an ethnic child for a lot of people, not to mention the difficulty for the child as he/she reaches school age etc.
Issues that can be overhelming for most people, hence why we do not see as many public adoptions of kids in the system.
While I volunteered for this agency, I became attached to an African American boy about 8. We considered the possibility of adopting him had his Aunt not come forward to do so, but I do not think I would have ever considered adopting any of the other children he was housed with due to the above reasons.

You've seen a lot of sad things, then I'm sure.
Life is complicated, isn't it?

 

[rapunzel]

All this furor over Madonna adopting a baby just confounds me. It's in the news more that the suspension of habeus corpus. She has to go on Oprah and assure everyone she will take him back to Malawi and teach him all about his native culture and values. Yes, that's so important to all of us and the reason we are deeply concerned--we want to know the child will be raised with Malawian values. Meanwhile, if a typical American couple without the resources to go over and handle a foriegn adoption independently in Romania or the Ukraine or China goes to one of the adoption facilitators in this country, they are forced to sign a pledge promising to raise the child in a Christian household. Doesn't sound too bad, I know...just not sensitive to their native culture. But the pledge they fax you is a three page long document specifying that you will raise this child with beliefs consistent with the evangelical movement. I went to a Baptist university and after taking a few Christianity classes there I couldn't honestly sign that pledge in good conscience.

It's just all so tiresome.

 

[Teresa]

All this furor over Madonna adopting a baby just confounds me. It's in the news more that the suspension of habeus corpus. She has to go on Oprah and assure everyone she will take him back to Malawi and teach him all about his native culture and values. Yes, that's so important to all of us and the reason we are deeply concerned--we want to know the child will be raised with Malawian values. Meanwhile, if a typical American couple without the resources to go over and handle a foriegn adoption independently in Romania or the Ukraine or China goes to one of the adoption facilitators in this country, they are forced to sign a pledge promising to raise the child in a Christian household. Doesn't sound too bad, I know...just not sensitive to their native culture. But the pledge they fax you is a three page long document specifying that you will raise this child with beliefs consistent with the evangelical movement. I went to a Baptist university and after taking a few Christianity classes there I couldn't honestly sign that pledge in good conscience.

It's just all so tiresome.

are you kidding me? :shock: