In recent years, adoption rates in England and Wales have seen a significant decline. According to a BBC report from 2018, adoptions have dropped by a staggering 62% since the birth of the first “test-tube baby” nearly 50 years ago. More recently, the National Council for Adoption reported in 2022 that private domestic adoptions fell by 24% between 2019 and 2020, although they experienced a slight rebound of 3% in 2022 compared to 2019. Despite this, international adoptions (down 57% from 2019 to 2022) and adoptions through foster care (down 19% during the same period) continued to decrease.
Becky Fawcett, founder of Helpusadopt.org, has observed a growing trend where many couples attempt in vitro fertilization (IVF) but fail to achieve a successful pregnancy. Her organization aims to support families pursuing adoption through grants of up to $30,000. Fawcett, herself a mother through adoption after a failed IVF experience, stressed the importance of raising awareness about adoption as an option for families dealing with infertility.
She explained, “With IVF success rates being what they are, I always think about how this community of millions will become parents because it is very clear that IVF doesn’t work for most. These families leave one road for a possible other and have no guidance, no education on options, no map, no bridge to adoption — until now.”
However, Fawcett has found that some fertility clinics hesitate to discuss adoption with their patients, fearing it might hurt their business. As a result, potential adoptive parents are often left uninformed about the adoption process.
IVF has become the preferred path to parenthood for many couples, despite its challenges. For some, it is a more appealing option than adoption, leading them to use sperm or egg donors. While this may fulfill their desire for children, it intentionally creates children who will grow up separated from at least one of their biological parents. This decision raises concerns about how these children might feel upon learning about their conception.
The role of adoption in society has become clouded by the modern emphasis on IVF. While IVF focuses on fulfilling adult desires, adoption is fundamentally about meeting the needs of children in need of a loving family.
Adoption should not be seen as a “last resort” after IVF fails. It is an opportunity to offer love and care to the most vulnerable members of society. This notion aligns with Christian teachings that emphasize the value of caring for orphans. Psalm 68:5-6 describes God as “a father to the fatherless” and a protector of widows, while Ephesians 1:5 speaks to God’s desire to bring people into His family through adoption.
The desire for biological children is a natural instinct, but the desire to adopt stems from a deeper compassion for the orphaned and abandoned. Adoption serves to heal the wounds created by separation from biological parents, whether due to death or an inability to care for the child.
Adoption is also not limited to couples facing infertility. Many families who are capable of having biological children still choose to adopt because it fulfills a calling to love and care for children in need. Those considering adoption, whether or not they have biological children, should not feel inadequate or assume they would be rejected.
While the wait to adopt a newborn can average a year, many children in the foster care system—though initially placed for reunification—require permanent homes when reunification is no longer possible. These children are in urgent need of loving families.
Another concern surrounding IVF is the high rate at which human life is created and destroyed. IVF may create embryos, but many never make it to birth. For women under 35, the success rate for a live birth through IVF is between 50-60%, a number that drops significantly as a woman ages. For women over 42, the success rate can be as low as 3%, according to ARC Fertility. Yet, more than 75% of IVF patients are over 40 years old, with many in their 40s and beyond.
IVF is performed 2.5 million times annually worldwide, but only 500,000 babies are born from the procedure, according to Reproductive Biomedicine Online. This means that at least 80% of embryos created in IVF cycles either fail to develop, are frozen indefinitely, or are destroyed.
When comparing IVF to abortion, the statistics are alarming. The World Health Organization reports that 73 million abortions are performed each year globally, and 29% of all pregnancies end in abortion. IVF, however, results in the destruction of embryos at an even higher rate than abortion.
The fertility industry’s mentality that “all families deserve children” overlooks a crucial fact: children are not commodities. They are human beings with intrinsic value. They should not be created or treated as a means to fulfill adult desires, but rather as individuals whose needs must be met with love and care.
Related Topics:
