Adoption Capitalism Reaches Its Bourgeois Limits: Adoption Contest

It’s always something. Keyword: always. NAAM 2020 will never end.

This adopta-newsflash came across today from Mobile, Alabama. Local family among 10 finalists in adoption competition. Later I found a second news story: Two local families hope to win national adoption contest. At first, I thought we had another Bowling for Babies. It’s not quite, but it’s on the money.

Meet the Alabama couples featured in the articles:

Jada and Jake Allen of Loxley,  Alabama, recently adopted 5-year old Ginny from a Bulgarian orphanage. Ginny suffers from epilepsy, 2 heart conditions, has only one kidney, and needs frequent medical attention. You’d think that Ginny, her care, welfare, and incurred expenses would be enough to keep the Allens busy for the moment, But….just a year or so later, because God made it “so easy“ for them to adopt Ginny, they are adopting a second special needs child from Bulgaria, already matched with them. What agency is this? Outside of sibling placements, adopting kids close together, especially those with special needs, is a very bad idea and usually discouraged. (See the Kolya Emelantsov case) To adopt Ginny the Allens say they sold their boat, took second jobs, fund-raised, and saved money to pay the $35,000 adoption agency bill. This time so far they’ve taken out a loan and are fishing for more money. Shouldn’t money be used to…well…take care of Ginny, not start a Kid Kollection?

Matthew and Tara Fraser from Chickasaw, Alabama,  have adopted two girls from Taiwan, Mary Alice and Lucy.  Lucy suffers from unspecified medical issues that require frequent medical treatment.  The Frasers learned recently that she has a baby sister, Sophie, available for adoption, and they hope to bring her to their family. Their motivation for this adoption seems to be to keep the sisters together, not kollect.

To get some free money for their individual adoptions, the Allens and Frasers entered an “adoption competition” through Fund the Nations which happily I had never heard of until this evening. The Fund the Nations FAQ explains its mission:

Our ultimate goal is to find a way to help someone go on a mission trip to, adopt from, or serve all 196 inhabited countries on our planet.

In other words, it’s a money ministry.

Obviously, Christian. I guess that means they won’t help fund pregnant women considering adoption due to financial straights or adoptee searches.or, for that matter, my dream home in the Hamptons, unless I designate it as a mission trip.

I can picture the shirts now:

To win the grand prize—a fully funded adoption– the Allens and Frasers need to sell their pay-for-my-adoption t- and sweatshirts designed and manufactured by Fund the Nations to family, friends, and strangers for $20 a crack + $6.00 mailing. (Can I make this up? No. I’m not that clever.) Each item sold counts as one vote for the lucky PAPs. The contest ends midnight  Thursday, and the one with the most shirt sales votes wins. As of tonight, Jada Allen says they are in third place and need $25,000 to pay off their agency and get the hand-over. No word from the Frasers.

Every day marginalized parents, especially women, (married and single) are condemned by politicians, do-gooders, and the public-at-large for having children they can’t afford, but it’s OK, inspiring, loving, brave, and Godly when people claiming they kept it in their pants before marriage, to clang the collection jar to adopt someone else’s children they can’t afford–the same children whose parents they deem insufficient.

This is hardly a big story, but well, can adoption get more bougie than this? Adoption capitalism is reaching its limits fast.

Like I said, NAAM never ends.

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