Friday, March 29, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Saturday, November 11, 2017
November is National Adoption Month
By Hawaii Family Forum @ 1:21 PM :: 3984 Views :: Family

Abortion or Adoption?  The Choice is Yours

From Hawaii Family Forum November, 2017

The month of November is National Adoption Month. While Americans have a proud and generous history of taking children into their homes and providing them with loving and supportive families, Hawai'i is the state where "ohana means family."  We all remember that touching moment in Lilo and Stitch when Stitch replies, "[t]his is my family and I found it all on my own. It's little and broken, but still good."  Or the statement of Samwise Gamgee in Lord of the Rings, "there is still some good in the world Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."

I'm sure you agree that ohana is worth fighting for.

Americans adopt approximately 140,000 children per year, more than doubling China, the country with the second highest number of adoptions after the United States. Despite our open homes, over a half million children are in foster care in America each year, and over a quarter of those children won’t be returning to their birth families.  We recently did a podcast with local faith-based organization Harvest Family Life Ministries about foster care.  We hope you had a chance to listen to the two podcasts.  If you missed the podcasts, they are located here.

While the American foster system is quite large, over 50% of adoptions take place through private and independent adoption.  So, when private adoption agencies begin shutting their doors, it is the children who suffer by remaining in state care longer.

In 2006, the Washington Times was one of the news outlets that reported that Catholic Charities of Boston, one of the nation’s oldest adoption agencies, shut down their adoption services. In order to receive a state license, Massachusetts passed a law that would require Catholic Charities of Boston to violate their religious mission by placing children with same-sex couples and referring young girls for abortions. Since then, some states have begun to pass laws that would protect private and religious child-placement agencies and foster families from state discrimination. Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and South Dakota are the trailblazers in protecting these vital charities that are critical for quicker placement of children into forever homes and families.

Our own Kelly Rosati, the first executive director of Hawaii Family Forum, has been instrumental in making these substantial changes across the nation.  Currently she serves as the Vice-President Advocacy for Children at Focus on the Family.

The numbers are clear—private adoption agencies are critical to meet the needs of half the children adopted each year. As National Adoption Month advances, Hawaii Family Forum will continue to support policies that protect religious freedom for faith-based adoption agencies and foster families. Will you help us stay in the game?

When it comes to children who need families now, we believe it is important for each of us in Hawai'i to lay aside what divides us and unite around working to ensure that every child has a safe home to live in and the support of a loving family, whether they are placed by a religious organization or the state.

On the other side of the coin, unfortunately, abortion is still a legal option - and Hawai'i is in the top ten for abortions.

Americans United for Life ranks Hawaii as #45 in the nation on issues of life.  Why?  Because Hawaii lacks the most basic protections for women and unborn children. The state fails to require informed consent for abortion, to mandate parental involvement in a minor’s abortion decision, or to ensure that abortion clinics meet minimum health and safety standards. Hawaii also fails to protect unborn victims of violence and to ban destructive embryo research or human cloning.

That's why we encourage you to listen to our podcast this week as Janet Grace-Hochberg and I discuss this very important issue.  This four-part interview is not something you will hear anywhere else.  Check back to this page every Friday for the new edition of this 4-part interview.

In the meantime, thanks for "choosing" to read this email.  Your life matters to us as it does to the King of Kings.  

Have a great weekend!

Eva Andrade

President

  *   *   *   *   *

DS: ACLU Threatens to Stamp Out Diversity by Shuttering Faith-Based Adoption Agencies

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT