re: Foster care/adoption trends and abortion

Thanks for posting this!

This is also good information for people who dont think gay and lesbians should be allowed to adopt. People dont think about the affects of what they are saying sometimes.

And the sad thing is, that is JUST our country. Compared to some other countries, we have relatively low numbers. You look at places where there are AIDS orphans, or places like china were girls are given up for boys ALL.THE.TIME. Its just very sad.

Very interesting information. Thanks for posting it!
My fiance and I have actually decided that if we want more children later, we will adopt instead of having our own. (He is getting a vasectomy after our son is born.) There are so many children that need loving homes.

Quoting God:“ Agreed. And I think if the government would put more effort into campaigns that teach women about the ... [snip!] ... we shift the focus from "you're killing a baby!" to "look what you're doing to YOURSELF" I think more women might listen. C.”

amen.

I want this on page one.

C.

Great topic! I agree whole heartedly.

There isn't much for me to add,so I'll just repeat what's already been said a million times, just in differentwords. My husband & BIL spent 5 years in the foster care system, & lucked out getting adopted when they did. So many of the kids they grew up with in those 5 years, continued to be bounced around from foster home to foster home until the hit 18.

Unfortantly, adoption isn't always the logical choice. Let's face it, kids aren't getting adopted as quickly as they are placed in the system. Adding more isn't going to change this. All that's going to happen is more kids will be growing up bouncing homes instead of with a permanent family.

Quoting God:“ Agreed. And I think if the government would put more effort into campaigns that teach women about the ... [snip!] ... we shift the focus from "you're killing a baby!" to "look what you're doing to YOURSELF" I think more women might listen. C.”

I have to agree with this. I really don't know enough to even begin to know how to go about it, but reforms have to be made to our foster and adoption systems. Its pathetic that ppl would rather import babies from China than help the mamny babies and children HERE that need homes and loving parents. My understanding however, is that its easier and quicker. How sad is that?? I know couples that take in Foster kids and one couple adopted 4 of their foster kids, but it took them years to be able to do so, EVEN THO THE KIDS HAD LIVED WITH THEM FOR THE ENTIRE TIME. Its crazy. I believe that adoption is better than abortion, but for the record I know that the system needs fixed before a lot of women would really consider it any better an option than abortion. If we could reform the education and information available regarding family planning and improve (massively) the adoption system I think the amount of abortions performed per year would actually drop. Maybe women view abortion as being more humane than having the child bounce around for 18 yrs?? I dunno...

Maybe we should ask every child in the system if they would have rather been aborted? I think the answer would be "NO".

I think the way it is sucks whole heartedly but I dont think we shouldnt give them the chance to make it.

Quoting BeccaShell:“ Maybe we should ask every child in the system if they would have rather been aborted? I think the answer ... [snip!] ... would be "NO". I think the way it is sucks whole heartedly but I dont think we shouldnt give them the chance to make it.”

Why do you assume that?

I'm willing to bet you could find myriad people, in the foster care system and outside of it that would tell you that given the choice, they'd have rather been aborted and not subject to the shitty life they've had to endure.

C.

Well since we are looking at "trends" here I suppose I should have worded it that the trend would be mostly no. There are people who take their own life everyday and choose to end it so of course there would be people wishing they had never been born. However, I feel confident most of them would be thankful they were not aborted.

Quoting BeccaShell:“ Well since we are looking at "trends" here I suppose I should have worded it that the trend would be ... [snip!] ... be people wishing they had never been born. However, I feel confident most of them would be thankful they were not aborted.”

How many foster/adopted kids have you talked to?

I don't mean to bash your comment, but most of the ones I've talked to have had shitty lives. I have a friend who's parents adopted him and then disowned him bc he turned out to be gay. He's now addicted to various forms of cocaine. I've heard of foster parents who make you work like slaves and keep the money they get for themselves. And then before they get into foster care there are even more horror stories of their parents' drug and sexual abuse. Maybe he'll be a little mad for saying this online, but my husband was tossed around in foster care for years because his father made him steal stuff for tweak and would then leave him unfed. Rhys seems to be one of the exceptions to the foster care system since he's a fairly normal, functioning human being, but many of these kids can never climb out of the hole they were left in by their parents. Of course this doesn't directly pertain to whether these people would have preferred to have been aborted, however I will say that perhaps society would not be so messed up if our children weren't forgotten. Perhaps in that sense abortion could be good for society, but once we get into that discussion we get into things like mandatory abortion for idiots or controlling reproduction with licenses and stuff.

And also, here are some "trends" for you:

http://fostersurvivor.netfirms.com/statistics.shtml

Statistics


A few pieces of information that really bring home the point that CPS is not taking care of their charges. These facts have been gathered from many sources. The reporting organisation is listed at the end of each paragraph.
There are more than half a million children and youth in the U.S. foster care system, a 90% increase since 1987. Three of 10 of the nation’s homeless are former foster children. A recent study has found that 12-18 months after leaving foster care:
27% of the males and 10% of the females had been incarcerated
33% were receiving public assistance
37% had not finished high school
50% were unemployed
*Casey Family Programs National Center for Resource Family Support
Children in foster care are three to six times more likely than children not in care to have emotional, behavioral and developmental problems, including conduct disorders, depression, difficulties in school and impaired social relationships. Some experts estimate that about 30% of the children in care have marked or severe emotional problems. Various studies have indicated that children and young people in foster care tend to have limited education and job skills, perform poorly in school compared to children who are not in foster care, lag behind in their education by at least one year, and have lower educational attainment than the general population.
*Casey Family Programs National Center for Resource Family Support
80 percent of prison inmates have been through the foster care system.
*National Association of Social Workers
Children are 11 times more likely to be abused in State care than they are in their own homes.
*National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN)
Children died as a result of abuse in foster care 5.25 times more often than children in the general population. 2.1 percent of all child fatalities took place in foster care. While this may seem like a relatively low number, we must consider the contrast in population between children in the general population versus children in foster care. In 1997, there were nearly 71 million children in the general population (99.6%), but only 302 thousand in state care (.4%) in state care. As state care is supposed to be a 'safe haven', the number of fatalities should be less or at least equal to what it is in the general population of children. By this standard, there should have been less than .4% of child fatalities occurring in foster care, however, there was 5.25 times that amount. (31 states reporting)
*CPS Watch Inc.

As you stated, as "shitty" as their lives are IT'S THEIR LIVES and I would be willing to go out on a limb and say they are glad they were not aborted. I've talked to numerous adopted children and it turned out great.

One of whom is my brother.

And if they want their life over it's THEIR choice to do it... maybe we should propagate suicide.

Quoting BeccaShell:“ As you stated, as "shitty" as their lives are IT'S THEIR LIVES and I would be willing to go out on a ... [snip!] ... One of whom is my brother. And if they want their life over it's THEIR choice to do it... maybe we should propagate suicide.”

...I think you missed my point.

I cant believe people are saying abortion can be good for our society.....


I have a question ,the people that are Pro-choice or Pro-abortion or whatever, everyone that thinks abortion is better than adoption, what do u think about the death penalty. I'm sure most of you are against it.

If you are against it, what is the difference? Everyone in jail for life probably hates their life and wishes they've never been born...so why not kill all of them?

Sadly if your pregnant with a black boy and looking to give him up for adoption chances are kind of against him that he will find a home since they are the dare I say "least desired" among most adopting couples.

The reason there are waiting lists for adopting is because a lot of people dont want just any child in need of a loving home they want their "perfect" little baby that will match their family.

Quoting megancasey:“ I cant believe people are saying abortion can be good for our society..... I have a question ,the ... [snip!] ... Everyone in jail for life probably hates their life and wishes they've never been born...so why not kill all of them?”

Being pro choice does not mean being pro abortion or anti adoption. It means being PRO giving a women the right to CHOOSE what goes on in her own body. Seriously.
And not everyone in jail should be there, deserves to be there or is sitting there rotting wishing they had never been born. Your post is filled with so much ignorance it's astounding.