Dear Editor,I am writing in response to your article “Falcon families raise money for adoptions,” printed in the Sept. 20 – Oct. 3, 2008 edition. As a parent, I can empathize with the joy and pride in raising a family.However, as an adoptee, I hope (their) children never see this article. Adoption “contracts” and the exchange of ridiculous sums of money already make adoptees feel like commodities. What further damage might come from knowing they were acquired through an advertising campaign? Adoption, when done respectfully, is a beautiful thing.But couldn’t that $20,000 be used to help a selfish birth mother keep her child? Wouldn’t that also be the right thing to do? Thousands of us in the adoption reform community long for the day when adoption is focused more on finding homes for children who need them rather than acquiring babies for people who can pay for them.I am writing in response to your article “Falcon families raise money for adoptions,” printed in the Sept. 20 – Oct. 3, 2008 edition. As a parent, I can empathize with the joy and pride in raising a family.However, as an adoptee, I hope (their) children never see this article. Adoption “contracts” and the exchange of ridiculous sums of money already make adoptees feel like commodities. What further damage might come from knowing they were acquired through an advertising campaign? Adoption, when done respectfully, is a beautiful thing.But couldn’t that $20,000 be used to help a selfish birthmother keep her child? Wouldn’t that also be the right thing to do? Thousands of us in the adoption reform community long for the day when adoption is focused more on finding homes for children who need them rather than acquiring babies for people who can pay for them.Sincerely,Jeff H.Rich U.Adoptees in Search
