In an encouraging move, recent adoption education laws are stepping up to support birth mothers, a crucial community that needs empathy and support. These initiatives offer assistance to those making tough choices and empower the next generation with knowledge, promoting understanding and compassion towards all aspects of adoption.
Idaho’s lawmakers have taken a proactive stance this year, enacting several laws to educate young people about adoption as a life-giving option while providing crucial assistance to mothers in choosing life.
The Catholic Register recently interviewed Lifetime Adoption’s Vice President Heather Featherston for their article, “Idaho Sets Example for Other States in Promoting Adoption.” For over 20 years, Heather has been educating pregnant women and others in crisis about adoption. In the article, Heather spoke from her heart about the importance of promoting adoption as a choice.
Keep reading to learn more about the new adoption education laws and what they mean!
Adoption Education Laws
This year, Idaho’s lawmakers have enacted several laws to educate young people about adoption as a life-giving option, while also providing crucial assistance to mothers in choosing life.
The legislation gained momentum in Idaho mainly due to its strong family-focused values. As one of 13 states with trigger laws ready to restrict or ban abortion if Roe v. Wade were overturned, Idaho took swift action. Its near-total abortion ban includes exceptions only for cases of rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk. After facing challenges at the U.S. Supreme Court, the law was revised this summer, marking a pivotal moment in the state’s approach to abortion policy.
Idaho’s groundbreaking adoption law takes a proactive approach to education and awareness. Public middle and high schools are now required to include adoption in health or sex-education classes when discussing topics like contraception and sexually transmitted infections.
Additionally, college health clinics must provide adoption information to women seeking guidance on contraception or STDs/STIs. This initiative aims to ensure adoption is part of the conversation in critical decision-making moments.
Terri Marcroft, founder of Unplanned Good, helped develop and promote passage of the Idaho laws. About the goal of the laws, Marcroft said, “We’re hoping to build the awareness about adoption and help people to understand open adoption. Let [students] know now about how adoption works…in a calm environment when they’re not in crisis mode.”
In a step forward for adoption safety and support, Idaho’s new laws also mandate that all adoption facilitators must be licensed. This crucial measure aims to significantly reduce the risk of adoption-related fraud, particularly from unlicensed or out-of-state providers.
The legislation goes a step further by removing restrictions on reimbursing birth mothers for their expenses, ensuring they receive the support they need during this challenging time. This comprehensive approach not only protects vulnerable families but also emphasizes the importance of compassion and transparency in the adoption process.
A few states already have laws requiring adoption education, including Michigan, South Carolina, Utah, Louisiana, Virginia, Texas, Tennessee, and Arkansas. An adoption-education bill similar to Idaho’s is slated to be introduced in the California Legislature early next year.
Adoption: The Third Pregnancy Choice
Many women facing an unplanned pregnancy today believe they have only two options: either get an abortion or raise the child. When Dominique White was dealing with her second unplanned pregnancy, she decided to place her baby in an open adoption. She shared that initially, “My concept of adoption was foster care. I didn’t know that adoption agencies existed or that you could pick a family. I had no idea…so I just thought it meant you’re a bad mom.”
Since 2002, Heather Featherston has been helping pregnant women and educating physicians, clinics, pregnancy centers, and maternity homes about adoption. In the article about Idaho’s new adoption laws, Heather described the many choices women have with adoption, from choosing their child’s adoptive parents to keeping in contact after placement.
“Living with the choice of abortion your entire life is hard. I would like to see before a woman can consent to an abortion…that she needs to fully understand her options, not just with parenting, but also her choices, options, and adoption,” Heather shared.
Adoption is a legitimate choice that deserves to be celebrated, not shrouded in secrecy. Ryan Hanlon, the president and CEO of the National Council for Adoption, believes that we must educate people about this option in a comprehensive and open manner.
Engaging in these discussions is crucial before women grapple with tough decisions, allowing them to understand the depth and richness of adoption. By providing accessible resources for everyone impacted by adoption, we can foster a more informed and compassionate society that embraces this choice of adoption.
Founder of Lifetime Adoption, adoptive mom, adoption expert, and Certified Open Adoption Practitioner (C.O.A.P).
Since 1986, adoption expert Mardie Caldwell has been dedicated to bringing couples and birth parents together in order to fulfill their dreams.
“Many years ago, I was also searching for a child to adopt. We didn’t know where or how to get started. Through research, determination, and a prayer, our dream of a family became reality. I started with a plan, a notebook, assistance from a caring adoption consultant and a lot of hard work; this was my family I was building. We had a few heartaches along the way, but the pain of not having children was worse!
Within weeks we had three different birth mothers choose us. We were overwhelmed and delighted. Many unsettling events would take place before our adoption would be finalized, many months later. Little did I know that God was training and aligning me for the adoption work I now do today. It is my goal to share with our families the methods and plans which succeed and do not succeed. I believe adoption should be affordable and can be a wonderful “pregnancy” for the adoptive couple.
I have also been on both sides of infertility with the loss of seven pregnancies and then conceiving by new technology, giving birth to a healthy daughter. I have experienced first-hand the emotional pain of infertility and believe my experience allows me to serve your needs better.
It is my hope that for you, the prospective parents, your desire for a child will be fulfilled soon.”
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