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Mark Lee Dickson
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GUEST OPINION: The heart of adoption is compassion in action
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author.
Every November, National Adoption Month invites us to reflect on the extraordinary ways families are formed and the lives forever changed through adoption. It is a time to celebrate the beauty of adoption, honor the courage of those who make it possible, and recognize the children who are still waiting for something every child deserves: a family.
But adoption is about so much more than bringing a child into a home. It is about belonging.
It is about the security of knowing someone will be there when you wake up in the morning, when you fall and scrape your knee, when you celebrate a birthday, or when life becomes difficult. It is about having someone to call Mom or Dad — someone who knows your story, celebrates your victories, comforts your fears, and loves you unconditionally.
Every child deserves to know that kind of love. And yet, for countless children around the world, the security of a permanent family remains uncertain.
For those who believe deeply in the sanctity of human life, adoption represents a beautiful expression of that conviction. Sometimes, despite a mother's love for her child, circumstances make parenting impossible. Poverty, instability, lack of family support, or other deeply personal challenges may lead a woman to consider adoption.
Such decisions are rarely simple. They can involve tremendous courage, sacrifice, uncertainty, and grief. We must approach these mothers with compassion rather than judgment, recognizing that choosing adoption does not necessarily mean a mother loves her child any less.
We must also recognize that when families can safely remain together, they deserve the resources and support necessary to do so. Poverty alone should never be the reason a child loses the opportunity to grow up with his or her family.
But when parenting or family reunification is not possible, adoption can offer a child the stability, permanence, and unconditional love of a family.
My husband and I never imagined that adoption would become such a defining part of our lives.
Like many couples, we had our own expectations of how our family would grow. But God had a different plan, one that would take us across oceans, challenge us in ways we could never have anticipated, and ultimately change the course of our lives.
Our first adoption brought us to China, where we met our beautiful daughter. I will never forget the moment she was placed in our arms. There are simply no words adequate to describe the love, wonder, and overwhelming responsibility of that experience.
She was our daughter. Not because we shared the same biology, but because we were committing ourselves to loving and raising her for the rest of our lives. Our family would eventually grow through five adoptions, each with its own remarkable story, challenges, and blessings.
One of those children, our precious son Daniel, came home from China with serious congenital heart defects. We lost him following open-heart surgery in May of 2010, just four months after bringing him home.
His life was heartbreakingly short, but his impact has been immeasurable.
Out of that loss, Open Hearts for Orphans was born – in God’s time. What began as our family's personal journey became a mission to help vulnerable children experience the love, security, and hope they deserve.
Daniel taught us that the value of a child's life is never measured by its length, abilities, or circumstances.
As beautiful as adoption can be, we must acknowledge an important truth: adoption begins with loss.
For a child, it may mean separation from biological parents, familiar surroundings, language, or culture. For birth parents, it can mean a lifetime of wondering, remembering, and loving from a distance.
Adoption does not erase those losses. Instead, it calls families to embrace children with compassion, patience, and a willingness to honor every part of their story.
Adoption is about making a lifelong commitment to a child whose needs must come first. Children who have experienced separation, trauma, or institutional care may need additional understanding and support. Adoptive parents need encouragement, community, and resources to help their children thrive.
When we advocate for adoptions, we must also advocate for the families who will spend a lifetime living out that commitment.
Through Open Hearts for Orphans, we have had the privilege of walking alongside almost 200 families who have opened their hearts and homes to children from across the United States and around the world. Some have adopted infants. Others have welcomed older children, sibling groups, or children with significant medical and developmental needs.
Their stories remind us that children do not need perfect parents or perfect circumstances. They need committed adults willing to love them through life's joys and difficulties.
And yet, many children continue to wait — because they have disabilities, complex medical conditions, siblings with whom they hope to remain, or are older. Their needs may be greater, but their worth is not diminished. They deserve the same opportunities for love, belonging, and permanence as any other child.
Not everyone is called to adopt, but we can all help create a world in which vulnerable children and families are supported.
We can...
come alongside expectant mothers facing difficult circumstances.
support organizations working to preserve families.
encourage foster and adoptive parents.
help remove financial barriers to adoption.
offer practical support long after a child comes home.
We can also challenge the notion that adoption is simply a beautiful ending to a difficult story. In many ways, adoption is the beginning of a lifelong relationship, shared family history, and a commitment to walk together through whatever the future holds.
As we recognize National Adoption Month, my hope is that we will look beyond the heartwarming homecoming photographs and remember the deeper meaning of adoption: love expressed through commitment, compassion put into action, and the recognition that every child — regardless of age, ability, background, or circumstance — possesses immeasurable worth and deserves the chance to survive and to belong.
And sometimes, changing a child's world begins with one simple, extraordinary word.
Yes.
Author Bio: Lisa Murphy is the founder & CEO of Open Hearts for Orphans. Contact her by email at: lisa.murphy@openheartsfororphans.org
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Mark Lee Dickson
·
Guest Column
Omar L. Hamada MD, MBA, FACOG, FAAFP
·
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Hector O. Chapa, M.D.
·
Guest Column
Rebecca Oas, Ph.D.
·
Guest Column
Mary Strow
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Guest Column
Angie Childers, MD
·GUEST OPINION: The heart of adoption is compassion in action
Disclaimer: Views expressed in this guest post are solely those of the author.
Every November, National Adoption Month invites us to reflect on the extraordinary ways families are formed and the lives forever changed through adoption. It is a time to celebrate the beauty of adoption, honor the courage of those who make it possible, and recognize the children who are still waiting for something every child deserves: a family.
But adoption is about so much more than bringing a child into a home. It is about belonging.
It is about the security of knowing someone will be there when you wake up in the morning, when you fall and scrape your knee, when you celebrate a birthday, or when life becomes difficult. It is about having someone to call Mom or Dad — someone who knows your story, celebrates your victories, comforts your fears, and loves you unconditionally.
Every child deserves to know that kind of love. And yet, for countless children around the world, the security of a permanent family remains uncertain.
For those who believe deeply in the sanctity of human life, adoption represents a beautiful expression of that conviction. Sometimes, despite a mother's love for her child, circumstances make parenting impossible. Poverty, instability, lack of family support, or other deeply personal challenges may lead a woman to consider adoption.
Such decisions are rarely simple. They can involve tremendous courage, sacrifice, uncertainty, and grief. We must approach these mothers with compassion rather than judgment, recognizing that choosing adoption does not necessarily mean a mother loves her child any less.
We must also recognize that when families can safely remain together, they deserve the resources and support necessary to do so. Poverty alone should never be the reason a child loses the opportunity to grow up with his or her family.
But when parenting or family reunification is not possible, adoption can offer a child the stability, permanence, and unconditional love of a family.
My husband and I never imagined that adoption would become such a defining part of our lives.
Like many couples, we had our own expectations of how our family would grow. But God had a different plan, one that would take us across oceans, challenge us in ways we could never have anticipated, and ultimately change the course of our lives.
Our first adoption brought us to China, where we met our beautiful daughter. I will never forget the moment she was placed in our arms. There are simply no words adequate to describe the love, wonder, and overwhelming responsibility of that experience.
She was our daughter. Not because we shared the same biology, but because we were committing ourselves to loving and raising her for the rest of our lives. Our family would eventually grow through five adoptions, each with its own remarkable story, challenges, and blessings.
One of those children, our precious son Daniel, came home from China with serious congenital heart defects. We lost him following open-heart surgery in May of 2010, just four months after bringing him home.
His life was heartbreakingly short, but his impact has been immeasurable.
Out of that loss, Open Hearts for Orphans was born – in God’s time. What began as our family's personal journey became a mission to help vulnerable children experience the love, security, and hope they deserve.
Daniel taught us that the value of a child's life is never measured by its length, abilities, or circumstances.
As beautiful as adoption can be, we must acknowledge an important truth: adoption begins with loss.
For a child, it may mean separation from biological parents, familiar surroundings, language, or culture. For birth parents, it can mean a lifetime of wondering, remembering, and loving from a distance.
Adoption does not erase those losses. Instead, it calls families to embrace children with compassion, patience, and a willingness to honor every part of their story.
Adoption is about making a lifelong commitment to a child whose needs must come first. Children who have experienced separation, trauma, or institutional care may need additional understanding and support. Adoptive parents need encouragement, community, and resources to help their children thrive.
When we advocate for adoptions, we must also advocate for the families who will spend a lifetime living out that commitment.
Through Open Hearts for Orphans, we have had the privilege of walking alongside almost 200 families who have opened their hearts and homes to children from across the United States and around the world. Some have adopted infants. Others have welcomed older children, sibling groups, or children with significant medical and developmental needs.
Their stories remind us that children do not need perfect parents or perfect circumstances. They need committed adults willing to love them through life's joys and difficulties.
And yet, many children continue to wait — because they have disabilities, complex medical conditions, siblings with whom they hope to remain, or are older. Their needs may be greater, but their worth is not diminished. They deserve the same opportunities for love, belonging, and permanence as any other child.
Not everyone is called to adopt, but we can all help create a world in which vulnerable children and families are supported.
We can...
come alongside expectant mothers facing difficult circumstances.
support organizations working to preserve families.
encourage foster and adoptive parents.
help remove financial barriers to adoption.
offer practical support long after a child comes home.
We can also challenge the notion that adoption is simply a beautiful ending to a difficult story. In many ways, adoption is the beginning of a lifelong relationship, shared family history, and a commitment to walk together through whatever the future holds.
As we recognize National Adoption Month, my hope is that we will look beyond the heartwarming homecoming photographs and remember the deeper meaning of adoption: love expressed through commitment, compassion put into action, and the recognition that every child — regardless of age, ability, background, or circumstance — possesses immeasurable worth and deserves the chance to survive and to belong.
And sometimes, changing a child's world begins with one simple, extraordinary word.
Yes.
Author Bio: Lisa Murphy is the founder & CEO of Open Hearts for Orphans. Contact her by email at: lisa.murphy@openheartsfororphans.org
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Mark Lee Dickson
·Guest Column
Omar L. Hamada MD, MBA, FACOG, FAAFP
·Guest Column
Hector O. Chapa, M.D.
·Guest Column
Rebecca Oas, Ph.D.
·Guest Column
Mary Strow
·Guest Column
Angie Childers, MD
·