For a long time, I’ve been thinking about the relationship between adoption and other methods of forming a family that don’t involve the tried-and-true “become pregnant and deliver a baby” scenario—embryo transfer, artificial insemination, gestational surrogacy. From my personal experience, people who wish to become parents will find a way, regardless of the obstacles. More power to them!

Because of my long-standing interest in this subject, I was happy to read Bundle of Joy: The Costs of Adoption vs. Surrogacy in Fox Business News. Third-party reproduction and adoption are usually viewed as separate subjects, but in fact, they represent different points on a wide spectrum. My only quibble with the article is the ease with which the writer claims one can adopt from foster care. As many veterans of the system agree, foster-adopt can be a long and convoluted procedure. One friend, an adoptive mother to a daughter from Guatemala who is trying to foster-adopt in California, said the California system made Guatemala’s look straightforward. Not that this should dissuade anyone.

If you’re interested, check out Creating a Family’s recent post, It’s Complicated; It’s Uncomfortable; It’s Doable; It’s Important–Talking With Older Kids About Donor Egg, Sperm, or Embryo. As usual, this blog offers many helpful suggestions and links.

Finally, it’s Superbowl weekend and I may be the only person in the San Francisco Bay Area who doesn’t plan to watch the game. I don’t even know the rules to football! My high school had basketball and soccer teams, and although I was a cheerleader (yes, really), and am familiar with the full-court press, I never got around to learning about first downs, flags on the field, and whatever else one is supposed to have absorbed as a US citizen. My husband will be watching, though, and for his sake I’ll say, “Go Niners!”

ShareThis