Quick Hit: Adoption as a Feminist Issue
I’ve written about adoption before. (Here, here, here…) It’s something I believe in very strongly, and will as long as there are children who need adoption. As long as women are pressured to give their children up for adoption, there will be children to be adopted, and I don’t believe it’s right to have my own child when there are so many that need homes.
I have thought a lot about this issue, especially as a feminist issue, so I was glad to see Feministe pick it up on their blog. There, Brigid raised some interesting questions:
How can or should we view adoption as a feminist issue? As a class, race, or disability issue? Whose rights stand to be compromised when adoption is or is not an available option?
Does every child have a right to be raised by the people whose genetic material helped create them?
Does every genetic parent have a right to raise their genetic children?
Do people who are unable (though biology or circumstance), or do not desire, to conceive children have a right to raise children?
If you believe adoption is problematic, what circumstances would make it less so?
These questions also raised interesting responses in the comments. You should totally check out the whole article.