Don’t let the 2024 elections overshadow National Adoption Month

While all eyes are on the 2024 elections, national attention is firmly focused on inflation, immigration and abortion. But it is imperative that we do not allow a vital choice to overshadow the needs of millions of vulnerable children around the world waiting for their forever families. The first Tuesday in November will culminate in one of the most polarizing elections in U.S. history and also mark the beginning of National Adoption Month, which is set annually in November. We must not allow ourselves to be swamped by the endless debates between the media and the candidates and neglect the fundamental debate on child welfare.

Our nation’s next leader will advocate and implement policies that will impact the lives of vulnerable children for years to come. Policy matters because people matter, but too often policies ignore the impact on those most vulnerable: children. Will our political candidates finally meet the growing needs of waiting children in the United States and around the world? How will candidates prioritize adoption as a life choice and alternative to abortion?

Government advocacy and diplomacy are crucial for child welfare to continue effectively. Recently, I saw a wall, even within our own government, that makes it harder than ever to defend the rights of vulnerable children. The current administration is more interested in redefining the family than finding its permanence. 369,000 children He lives in US foster care. We joke about illegal immigration while more than 300 children promised to US families languish in Chinese orphanages. The federal and state policies shaped by the November elections will directly impact support for child welfare services and families’ ability to adopt.

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It should be emphasized that adoption is a safe, permanent and loving alternative for children who cannot live with their biological families for various reasons. As a nation, we not only need political and government intervention for families and children, we also need the church to get out of the morass of political sycophancy and prioritize hurting people over projects and politics. We need a church that preaches the gospel and exemplifies God’s glory, goodness, and grace to vulnerable children.

Our hope and prayer for this year’s National Adoption Month is to raise awareness of the urgent need for adoptive families to provide permanency for children. The needs of these vulnerable children must be of national and international urgency. Every day a child’s basic needs go unmet, creating uncertainty and pain for generations. Unfortunately, the political climate has the potential to silence this critical message.

National Adoption Month has the potential to be powerful in its ability to unite people across political, religious and social divides. Adoption issues run deeper than rivers flowing red and blue as they relate to the universal value of humanity. The Congressional Adoption Coalition is the largest bipartisan coalition on Capitol Hill, bringing together fierce adversaries as passionate advocates advocating for adoption as the solution to the diverse child welfare challenges facing our nation.

Perhaps the most talked about issue to be voted on in this election is abortion. While conversations on the pro-abortion side focus on a woman’s supposed right to choose, broader conversations about abortion alternatives are rarely, if ever, discussed. Adoption is a compassionate option for women facing unplanned or crisis pregnancies. While the American Abortion Federation is charging the government $15,000 to $20,000 to abort babies in the third trimester, millions of families are ready, willing and able to adopt these precious children.

Pro-life and pro-choice advocates may find common ground in promoting adoption as one of the most compassionate alternatives to abortion. This election cycle presents us with a unique opportunity to increase the debate on adoption. Supporters who value life and family need to advocate for policies that will make candidates and adoption more accessible to expectant mothers and potential adoptive families.

This November, don’t let the most historic elections of our time overshadow National Adoption Month. Let it be a catalyst to hold our politicians accountable for supporting adoption as a cornerstone of family building and child welfare advocacy.