[raybuffer]

Realism is key. Many times our emotions flood into these forums and we express what we would like reality to be, but that does not make it so. I for one am grateful I was not aborted, or left in a dumpster. My birthmother proved she loved me by bringing me to term. I am happy to have been raised by my adoptive parents.

But I also feel that more should be done to assist birth mothers in keeping their children. The current adoption industry is on pins and needles to satisfy hungry adoptive parents who want children. I do not fault the adoptive parents for this. However, it is more self serving to ENCOURAGE birth mothers into relinquishment for those in the adoption industry, especially if the child's race and eye color is popular, because the market demands it. I agree that the best interest of the child would be first and foremost to remain in the care of his or her natural family unless some type of abuse exists. Money and readiness is not a concern. People step up to the plate despite difficulty. That is what makes us human and that is what challenges us and helps us grow.

That is also one reason I disagree with many "Safe Haven" laws that allow children to be anonymously dumped at hospitals and fire stations. These children are insured of never having knowledge of their origins. Despite "Safe Haven/baby dump" laws that legalize abandonment, children continue to be dumped in unauthorized locations and continue to die. The newspapers neglect to tell you that before Safe Haven laws, infants were already being left safely at hospitals and firestations. They have simply invented a new privacy barrier that "safe haven" foundlings will never be able to get past in search of their origins.



Best Regards,

Ray Buffer