by bebu 15 Replies latest jw friends
What are your thoughts about JWs adopting children?
Has anyone here adopted children while a JW? What are your views about this?
If you are no longer a JW, do you now feel that the blood issue is rationale for governments to refuse an adoption to a JW couple?
Or is adoption the inherent right of every couple, regardless of their beliefs (or how their affects could affect the lives of the adopted children)?
Positive or negative comments, please share your thoughts!!
bebu
I've never been a j.w., but of the j.w.'s I know, I've never heard of any adopting a child.
In my hall there was one family that had several adopted children. The tone in the hall was encouraging, as I rememeber.
I have an adopted daughter. Though I adopted her well after I left. But interestingly, she has two older biological sisters. Both those sisters were adopted by a Witness family in Massachusetts.
bttt
I have an aunt and uncle who adopted a boy... I'm guessing he was about 10 or 12.
Within a year the boy requested that he be able to leave them because he could not stand the JW life.
Or is adoption the inherent right of every couple, regardless of their beliefs (or how their affects could affect the lives of the adopted children)?
Imo, they should be allowed to adopt. Each family should be weighed individually, if they can provide suitable care, then yes to them. I think the only condition should be to make the child a ward of court and never be allowed to refuse them life saving medication. Perhaps they should also make the condition of always giving the child the true history of their religion.
But yes to your question, they are human and should be allowed to adopt and experience the joy of parenthood.
Many adoption agencies are leary of letting a JW adopt because of the blood issue.
The WTS says that unwed JW mothers should keep their babies and raise them "in the truth" so they won't die at Armageddon.
***
w82 8/15 p. 31 Questions from Readers ***A rare and sad situation is that of a young girl who has a child resulting from rape. Those immediately involved, the girl and her parents, can decide what course is advisable in view of all the factors, including her physical and emotional state. In some cases like this the infant has been accepted and given a loving Christian upbringing in the girl?s family. In other cases another Christian couple wanting to care for a child, and being in a position to do so, have been allowed to adopt the baby.
Thus JWs would want to adopt have a hard time of it but
Money makes the world go round
And some have gone to other countries and "bought" babies/children.
Others have been foster parents and eventually were able to adopt the children they had fostered.
There are government adoption agencies that refuse in writing to do business with JWs.
Actually, I always wondered why JWs didn't adopt more and 'save" those children from a certain death at Armageddon rather than making new children.
Here's a site that seems to try and find children for JWs:
I just now stumbled across a document that addresses some of the legal definitions of child abuse, and whether religious practice was exempted from the definition by each state. It's current thru Jan 2003, but I can't find a more recent document.
http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/general/legal/statutes/define.pdf
bebu
My aunt and uncle are JW's and they adopted two biological sisters that they fostered. The girls are now in their late teens and seem well adjusted, however I don't think JW's should be allowed to adopt kids unless they are willing to drop the blood issue, If there was a way for JW parents to adopt and not have the right to refuse blood for this child than I would be all for it.
Dragonlady76
I have known witness couples that adopted kids. Everything seemed ok. The congregation was helpful and loving. I always thought the kids were so "fortunate" to have been adopted by witnesses. It was like winning the adoption lottery. Now they would have a chance to live forever in paradise.
My current view is that witness parents can be really good people but their religious beliefs definitely go against the norm of society. Any child adopted would be excluded from holiday celebrations, birthdays and the parents would never allow a blood transfusion. If witness parents want to adopt that's fine by me, but they must provide a house where the child is allowed blood transfusion if one is necessary and include some extracurricular activity - and not just pioneering all summer.
