By Anna Visser, Right to Life of Michigan Director of Communication/Education
November is National Adoption Awareness Month. You can celebrate and bring awareness to adoption by sharing the stories of people who have been impacted by adoption. This is a great opportunity for churches and schools to get involved by sharing their own community’s stories. Most of us know someone who has been adopted or impacted by adoption. They are living proof abortion is never the answer for unplanned pregnancy and there are so many people ready and willing to complete their families.
Adoption Awareness Month dates back to 1976 when it was just a week-long celebration with dinners, public events, and fundraisers in Massachusetts. In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan made it a national week of awareness, and then a couple of years later, it became a month-long celebration.
Within the awareness month, there is a very special day called National Adoption Day. On this day, judges and courts participate by finalizing adoptions across the country. This day falls on the Saturday before Thanksgiving every year—just in time for families to celebrate with their newest member.
This November, Right to Life of Michigan will be sharing the stories of families who have been blessed by adoption in their lives. These families chose life-affirming paths for the unborn and infants. We are honored to share these stories on our website to bring awareness to this loving option.
Sadly, so many are not given the opportunity to find a forever home. In 2020, 29,669 abortions took place in Michigan. That is 29,669 children who could have gone to parents looking to complete their family. In Michigan, only hundreds of infant adoptions take place every year. For every child waiting to be adopted, there are 36 families ready to give them a forever family.
Since the beginning of Roe v. Wade in 1973, abortion has taken children away from hopeful parents waiting to complete their families. Within the first couple of years of abortion being legal in the U.S., the adoption numbers dropped from 89,200 to 47,700.
There is a specific focus this year on children in the foster care system that are looking for their forever homes. While most children in foster care have a goal of being reunited with their families, there are some children who are looking for adoptive parents.
Check out real life stories of adoption in action and help us encourage this loving, life-saving option.