No Child Is An Unwanted Child in Canada

Dear Editor

An estimated 20% of Canadian couples experience some form of infertility.  Couples who desire to adopt a newborn wait at least eight years to do so.  A Facebook Campaign was just launched this past week.  It has a message of hope and promise not only for the child whose existence is being questioned, but for the couples who long to raise and nurture a child as their own through adoption. 

The Adopted Campaign states that abortion is not the only option. 

On the Facebook group, “Adopted”, adopted people have boldly posted their stories on how thankful they are that their mother chose to carry them to full term and allowed them to bring hope to a family situation that embraced them as one of their own.  Though it is not the premise of this campaign, I am sure it would be powerful to hear the statements from the adoptive parents and families whose lives were truly enriched by this selfless act on the birth mother’s behalf.    I believe that if more women would choose to carry their baby for the sake of the child’s destiny, we would realize that there is no such thing as an unwanted child in Canada. 

If 20% of Canadian couples have fertility issues, that is an estimated 1.7 million couples that may potentially want to adopt.  There are an estimated 100,000 abortions each year in Canada (the exact numbers are unknown as some hospitals do not accurately report their data).  Even if every single baby was born that was aborted in Canada, there would still be 1.6 million people waiting for babies.  

I know dozens of couples who have been devastated by the fact that they cannot have children and cannot afford to adopt internationally.  But have you ever heard of a single instance when a mother choosing life has been unable to find a suitable home for her infant? 

There is no reason for lives to be thrown away.  They are wanted.  These babies should be given the chance to be loved and to live the life they were destined to live. 

Rachel Barrett

North Bay, ON