She HAD to adopt?! Let's put aside biology for a moment -- even lesbian women can give birth!!! -- how's this for showing the Catholic League's attitude toward adoption?! I posted yesterday about someone surprised to discover there was still stigma associated with adoption. Obviously, that person doesn't spend much time on social media! This tweet certainly shows that adoption stigma is alive and well.
Oh, and then the always popular adoption =/= "your OWN" child. I admit, I don't like the "my OWN" child thing because is sounds so . . . OWNERSHIP. And I don't really like the exclusivity many apply to the term, as in "she's MY own child, not her birth mother's OWN child" thing. But still. When you're using it to mean I'm less of a parent than someone who gave birth to children, I object. I won't accept that my girls' birth mothers are "less than," nor will I accept that I am "less than."
And I sure won't accept it from MY OWN Church. I've responded to the Catholic League, as have many others. Their response addresses the lesbian comment in an oh-so-mature way:
No response to the adoption comment. I suppose they think we should get over it, too, and grow up. I'd sure like it if my kids could grow up without idiots like the Catholic League stigmatizing adoption.
And if you're on twitter, why don't you let @CatholicLeague know what you think of their view of adoption as a last resort, second-best option?!
The Catholic League seems to believe that if you give birth to children you have then raise them (Romney raised kids, but Rosen merely adopted them), but that if you adopt children, you . . . what? Just leave them sitting in the living room for 18 years? Unbelievable.
ReplyDeleteI had to sleep on this because my absolutely first gut response was "But, adoption IS supposed to be a last resort, second (sometimes third, fourth) best option.
ReplyDeleteBut that's only supposed to apply for the child, though, right?
Being with a birth parent is the first best option for a child. Second best is being with birth family. Then on to adoption, and last resort, international adoption. That's how I understand it.
I'm not saying that what you've stated in your post isn't or shouldn't be offensive. I'm saying that this had made me step back and reassess Adoptive families fight to say Adopting children into a family is equal to and just as good as birthing children into a family while also saying that an adoptive family is secondary to what's best for the child.
There's a bit of a disconnect there.
It's confusing.
Ugh. I love my faith and yet here's another example of why I'm so often ashamed of people in my Church.
ReplyDeleteEven though it's founded by a priest I would like to point out this "League" is not the Church itself, just another crazy organization.