Act of Life - 'Adoption Advocates'
As advocates of adoption it is our aim to help raise public awareness so that more people know the truth about adoption. Indications are that the current general perception of adoption is one of suspicion and reservation. At Act of Life our great desire is to see the myths of adoption dispelled and replaced with impartial, factual information from which people can have an informed opinion.
An Act of Life 'Adoption Advocate' is one who has a passion to spread the positive message of how adoption is a life-giving, 'forever family' creating gift. As a Christian organization we believe that physical adoption is symbolic of spiritual adoption whereby as believers we are adopted into the family of God and are therefore brothers and sisters in Christ.
To give a child a 'forever family' where they will be loved, cared for and nurtured is a wonderful gift any young woman, faced with an unplanned pregnancy, can give her unborn child should she be unable/unprepared to parent her child herself.
"Birth parents, in deciding that the best they could do may not be what is best for the child, have met the strictest definition of what it means to be a parent. They have put the welfare of their children above their own." Institute of Adoption Information, 2004. Hope For Orphans, Division of Family Life.
Often times when speaking of adoption the language used is either positive of negative. The hearer can easily be influenced by the intonation of the speaker - positive or negative. The need is for accurate language rather than positive or negative. It is vital to rephrase and reframe the language we use concerning adoption. At Act of Life we teach our Adoption Advocates how to present the message of adoption using accurate language so that they are then confident to go and talk to small groups, clubs, schools, Bible study groups, etc..
The general perception of adoption would seem to be that if a person is adopted then they are somehow less well rounded than someone raised by their biological parents. This 'negative perception' is very often compounded by the media and the movies we watch on television or the big screen. Over and over again we are fed negative adoption stories - fact and fiction. Where are all the positive stories? Why do we very rarely, if ever, hear about those stories in the newspapers, magazines, on television and at the cinema? "Study after study shows that the negative stereotypes about adopted persons, from their emotional bonding and identity issues to psychological development, are simply wrong. They are as well adjusted and normal as their non-adopted peers." Institute of Adoption Information, 2004. Hope For Orphans, Division of Family Life. If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering as an Act of Life 'Adoption Advocate" please contact us on 713-991-LIFE (5433) or email: info@actoflife.org We look forward to hearing from you. | *Support Act of LIfe*
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