Adoption article told only part of the story

Regarding the article, "Families waiting on adoptions get good news," once again we are telling only one side of the tale.

There is a world of difference between infant adoption and foster adoption. In the latter, parental rights have already been revoked. In the former, an expectant mother must make the heartbreaking decision whether to surrender her child for adoption. For every family that receives the "good news" of an adoption, there is another in grief.

Prospective adopters are rushing ahead of the deadline for stricter adoption standards. Why? Are they so eager for a child they are willing to overlook questionable practices? Children are not possessions, and these children are not "theirs" until and unless the adoptions are finalized. To say otherwise is a slap in the face to birth mothers who -- in theory, seldom in practice -- are supposed to be given an objective chance to decide if they truly want to make such a momentous choice.

An infant is not a tabula rasa. There are no guarantees, whether a child is biological or adopted. If prospective adopters are so eager to help, perhaps they should consider adopting a foster child already in care, and giving the money they would have spent on infant adoption to expectant mothers in need.

Triona Guidry

Cary