I am the “innocent child” pro-lifers love to slap on posters/use to bolster arguments. My mother gave me up for adoption after being unable to access abortion. She was poor, homeless. There was no parenting help. I received a life of pain+abuse. I would’ve rather been aborted.
My adoptive parents were perfect on paper—when I say I’m the poster child I mean it. Adopted at birth, advertised as a “clean slate”, gave the chance to parent to two infertile, wealthy, deserving, tax-paying Christians. A homemaker (former teacher) and a successful executive. 2/
Behind closed doors, they were disappointed when my personality didn’t as closely match who they imagined I’d be. I was physically matched to look like them, and then was fat. They hated that. If you think this is an anomaly in adoption, you must not know very many adoptees. 3/?
That’s how they justified years of emotional and medical abuse—I had a personality they didn’t understand and they wanted it gone. They wanted what they ordered and paid for; not the human being who showed up. 4/?
Anyway—adoptees are 4× more likely to be sexually abused by an unrelated male who lives in the home. More likely to die by our “parents” hands. More likely to commit suicide, overrepped in jails, prisons, psych wards +RTCs. Adoption is COMPLICATED and comes with unique issues 5/?
We are not your poster children for removing women’s rights. Make no mistake—the adoption industry pays millions $$/year to lobbyists and directly to politicians, judges, etc, like those who ended up on SCOTUS. There are 42 waiting couples for every available infant. 6/?
Infants, womb-wet infants that cost 40 K and all that money goes to the agency and CEO salaries + back into lobbying—none of it goes to the vulnerable mother who was recruited and convinced to relinquish her child because “these people have money + they really want one.” 7/?
NONE of that money goes back into the community or into building resources for vulnerable women to empower them or assist them to parent. It DOES go to anti-choice lobbyist groups and GOP election campaigns. 8/?
Adoption is an extremely political issue. the billion $ industry is part of the reason Roe v. Wade was overturned today, and if you don’t want to believe that, you are willingly closing your eyes to reality. 9/?
Adoptees are people, and while of course some adoptions work out beautifully, that is LUCK OF THE DRAW and it doesn’t change the corrupt anti-woman’s rights system the money exchanged is fueling. The US adoption industry thrives on disempowering women. 10/?
I’m tired of seeing psychotic right-wingers talking about “the innocent child” who has been saved from being murdered in the womb. I AM that innocent child, and I would rather have been aborted than loved the life forced on me bc my mother had no options. 11/?
I speak for myself, but for me, adoption has been extremely painful + inflicted lifelong abandonment wounds that have never closed. I’m active in the adoption reform community and can tell you there are many who feel the same. Most don’t share bc of how we’re talked over. 12/?
EITHER WAY—adoptees are a diverse group of real ppl, not an abstract concept you can lump together +use for your own agenda. If anything, I’m MORE pro-choice bc of my adoption. I’m pro-family presentation + societal support systems, which are things the industry is against. 13/?
Fuck you if you’re out there talking about “innocent children” being saved from abortion and not the thousands of us suffering from the lifelong pain and trauma of adoption, like they don’t go hand in hand. Stop supporting infant adoption and stop putting me on posters, thx. /14
Edit: for clarity’s sake, “adoption” here refers to infant/womb-wet, the kind trafficked thru expensive agencies ppl sit on waitlists for years to use. While foster care is it’s own bucket of awful corrupt exploitation, “the industry” doesn’t typically include foster-adopt.
Also—thanks to adoption/my lack of support system as an adult/many years of conditioned abuse as a child, I ended up in more than one unhealthy relationship where retaining my rights to my body was PARAMOUNT to being ALIVE right now. My bio mom was also an adoptee. It’s a CYCLE.
Please consider reading about the Georgia Tann + the origins of the modern adoption industry. The foundation is corrupt and centers the baby brokers and $. Not babies, women, or even potential adopters. Everyone loses with this mentality and model.
(except those making $)
https://twitter.com/caslostwings/status ... 0932405248
Thank you all for being kind/respectful. I hope this horrifying day may be a turning point to ppl beginning to listen to us—adoption is corrupt/the industry has led directly to certain justice appointments/Roe being overturned, but these are also my feelings & I have a lot today.
