Title Adopt the idea of Adopting
General Purpose To persuade
Specific Purpose To persuade the COMM 210 class to consider adopting a child rather than creating a new one when the time comes to build a family.
Introduction
I. According to my audience analysis survey, about 83% of you all said that you plan to have a child or children in the future, but have you considered those future children being one of the 397,122 kids without families in the U.S. foster care system? Most likely not, the norm is to have a child “of your own”, right? As a child who grew up without parental guidance and a person who enjoys living on a healthy planet Earth, this topic is very close to my heart. Today, I am going to confront a popular counterargument to adopting, illustrate the issues of overpopulation with a proposed solution, and explain the adoption process to you all.
Body
It is the “normal” thing to do in our society to build a family by making a baby with a spouse, in fact, according to a CNN interview with an adoptive mother, Pereira, the mother, had been introduced as“…the lady who adopted all of those kids…”, to which the woman replied“but she looks so normal!” as if she wasn’t. With this standard viewpoint in mind it is not surprising that the most popular argument against adopting kids is that people want to have “their own kid and be their real parent”.
Now, when someone says this to me it always brings the question “what makes someone a parent?” to mind. My audience analysis survey let me know that about 83% of you all were raised by your biological parents, but we all have heard of, if not personally witnessed, parents who do not deserve the title. Abusive or absent parents are not really “father” or “mother” figures to their kids. A true parent takes on the responsibilities to raise, protect, and teach their children-nurture, not neglect.
Speaking as a survivor of years of abuse and neglect, I can personally affirm that given the option to be with my biological parent or parents who chose me, I would choose the adoptive family in a heartbeat.
What it boils down to is this: a child needs the love provided by his role models, not the DNA link.
Now that we have addressed why most people do not adopt a child, I want to illuminate a benefit to adoption that most people do not consider: overpopulation.
Earth’s population is at an all time high-a whopping 7.3 billion. According to worldometer.info the population has grown from 1.65 billion to 6 billion in the 20th century alone.
One billion (or every one in seven) people go hungry around the world today says an article in Time Magazine. To be blunt, we need to take care of the people we have now before we create more.
Another problem overpopulation presents is that as more humans populate the planet, the more resources are taken in and more waste is put out. This leaves increasingly less room for other populations. With 52 species a year moving one category closer to extinction, we will soon be a planet full of humans but nothing else.
By adopting children, we can begin to bring overpopulation under control by taking care of the people who already exist instead of creating more to worry about.
Please understand that adopting a child is a serious decision, you are making a commitment to guide him or her through life. With that being said, the process of adopting may seem daunting, confusing, and downright nerve-racking.
Luckily you can smoothly go through the process with a few simple steps. After researching adoption agencies and finding a suitable one, complete a homestudy, or series of meetings, with a social worker, then begin your search for a child.
Attending adoptive parent support groups or conferences and reading adoptive magazines and books are great ways to get familiar with the adoption community.
After finding a child who you would like to adopt send the required information to the child’s agency and, after being selected (as there may be more than one family interested), begin visiting with him or her. Soon after, a date will be placed for the child to move in with you where the agent will regularly visit for the first few weeks or months. The adoption will be finalized by a judge in a court session and you may live as an adoptive family!
Conclusion
As I wrap up I would just like to remind you all that each of these children in the foster care systems have the same rights to parental love and guidance as everyone else. We must start taking care of those who are already here! After considering the counterargument, highlighting overpopulation concerns, and explicating the adoption process, I hope you consider this option when starting a family in the future.
