encyclopedia of adoption

PREFACE
by William L. Pierce, Ph.D.	Page 2 of 2 << back

The essence of adoption--and this is true iii some religions as well, where adoption is part of the tradition--is the unconditional love of a parent for a child who may not have asked to be adopted but who certainly benefited from that loving decision. Adoption is about love--and not in a sentimental sense. Adoption is about the kind of love that is reflected when people put their names on waiting lists to adopt children born with spina bifida or Down Syndrome or children who test positive for the HIV virus (AIDS) or who were affected in utero by a mother's use of alcohol or drugs. Adoption is about the kind of love that will try with a child who seems beyond loving, a child who has been so affected by what others have handed him or her, often in the form of sexual and physical abuse, that there is little real chance of a long-term positive adjustment. But there is some chance, and some children do make miraculous recoveries and adjustments, and that chance for a competent adulthood is what adoption is also all about.

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For decades, adoption was seen as the answer for only a portion of the many children who needed permanent families. It was presumed that only infants and young children should be adopted, and consequently, many older children remained in foster care. That has changed, thanks to the efforts of those who, perhaps a bit too naively, made the phrase "there is no such thing as an unadoptable child" part of the American belief system. That phrase has resulted in some heartbreak and sonic unrealistic expectations, but it has produced so much more in terms of hope and effort and results for children.

Adoption is about children above all, but it is also about adults. Two large groups of adults in particular benefit from adoption. One group is made up of those women who have a pregnancy that is a crisis to them, for whatever reason or reasons, and for which, after good counseling and time to consider their options, adoption is a godsend. Adoption is the answer they need to be able to make the decision that is right for them--a decision to allow them to move on with their lives, their careers, their families, their spouses. The fact that others, including the child, also benefit is a happy bonus.

Adoption benefits those who want to be parents, whether because they are infertile (as the National Center for Health Statistics says an estimated one in twelve couples of childbearing age are), whether they simply would like to raise more children or whether they are unmarried and believe they have a great deal to offer--and to gain themselves--by adopting a child who has no one he or she can call Mom or Dad.

Adoption, in my view, is clearly something that, on balance, is extraordinarily beneficial. It is beneficial to American society and ought to be ranked far ahead of many of our other innovations as one of our crowning achievements. Would that other nations, other cultures had the same complex of services to otter their citizens. Would that the estimated 20 million children who are growing up on the streets of cities all around the world had this option readily available in their own societies. Would that there was a worldwide understanding of the necessity to free up the children, to overcome the boundaries of race and culture and ethnicity and creed so all children on earth would have someone to parent them and care for them.

Adoption, for all its benefits, is far from perfect--even in the United States. There are many areas where more work needs to be done, many aspects of our own practices that need drastic change now. For instance, the United States, instead of criticizing the practices of other countries regarding their children who need families, ought to free its own children who are waiting for international adoption.

Adoption, however, is a fortunate social invention in that it is the subject of increasing attention. There are many of us, with often diametrically opposed views, who are concentrating our efforts on adoption. Through all this ferment that at times can degenerate into outright squabbling, there are real achievements, and real progress is being made.

Two decades ago, there was an oversimplified view of adoption, especially in the minds of those of us who were operating from a context of agency adoption. We thought, in essence, that agencies could do no wrong and private adoption practitioners could do no right. The last two decades have taught us something about that prejudiced view: there are good and bad agencies and good and bad private adoption practitioners. The task now is to try and sort out the better from the less good, to try and improve the practices of those who are good and ethical and to remove from the field those--agencies or others--who are not.

There are other changes as well, too numerous to discuss here. But perhaps the most important change is exemplified by this book. That change is in the area of information about adoption.

Americans are almost comical in their enthusiasm for information and facts. We often believe that, given the facts, eventually we will come to the right decision about things. Adoption is no exception. So we have had an explosion of facts with the Internet as a major aid.

It may be that the persons who were born in 1966 and 1976 and 1986 will not say, as I have said, that they were largely ignorant of the benefits and shortcomings of adoption. It may be that as we otter this revised edition of our encyclopedia, as students and professionals and ordinary citizens read its entries and follow up on the leads we provide, that there will be more understanding of adoption in all its manifestations. We certainty hope this book will stimulate others to study adoption and the services and systems related to it. We hope there will be more careful research and more targeted spending. We hope there will be more dialogue and less name-calling. We hope there will be, finally, more hope and less despair, more love and less hate, among all the individuals and groups, whether affected directly or peripherally.

As you read and use this book, I invite you to send me your comments, criticisms and suggestions at the following address.

National Council For Adoption
1930 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20009-6207
ncfadc@2BM.net

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