Friday, August 17, 2012

An Open Letter To Pat Robertson {Setting The Truth Straight On Adoption}

I've been quiet on here lately. Just soaking up summer, enjoying my girls, and looking on with a bitter sweetness on how my girls are all growing up. I see friends around me having babies or adopting and I'm super happy for them. I just know that we are not in that season right now. However, that does not stop me from supporting adoption 100%. I also am not one to step down when it comes to controversy and misinformation on adoption.

So today, I'm stepping up and blogging a blog post I never thought I would have to write. You see recently Pat Robertson spoke out and said, "...you never know about adopted children; they might have brain damage and grow up weird.” This was in response to a woman who sent in a question about a man who would not marry her because she has adopted children.

To all of you reading this out there, I want to say, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that someone who represents himself as a Christian can sit there and say such a heartless statement. I'm sorry that this man who has a platform to represent Christ, isn't following God's own example. After all, doesn't God adopt each and every one of us as His sons, His daughters? After all, didn't God show us the perfect example of adoption in sending His son to earth to be adopted into Joseph's family? Please, if you are reading this, know that this is not how God views adoption.

To Pat (if you are reading this, and I hope you do). How dare you use one example, one example to explain away adoption and why no one should do it. Is it hard? Yes. Is there abuse in some cases? Yes. Neglect in others? Yes. Is it always going to be rosy and perfect? No, no, no.

But you know what Pat, someone could have easily said the same situation with a biological child. So maybe, according to your advice, we just shouldn't have any children at all. For after all, you just never know how they might turn out to be.



Pat, take a good look at this little girl. She is mine. Not by blood. She is adopted. We are different in every way possible. But come spend a day with us and you will find that she is not weird, she does not have brain damage just because she is adopted. In fact, I would venture to guess that you could spend a day with any adopted family and find out how very wrong your words are.

If adoption has taught me one thing, it is this; being adopted does not make you who or what you are. Instead adoption is a piece of the larger puzzle that God has designed for us. And if it wasn't for this little girl, our current puzzle would not be complete.

And I can't stay silent. The world needs to hear both sides. Thus, I'm setting the truth straight on adoption.