Your Heart Will Break When You See What He Was Making

National   |   Sarah Zagorski   |   Aug 25, 2014   |   6:06PM   |   Washington, DC

The life of an orphan is something many of us cannot understand. When a child loses her parents, whether it is because of a catastrophic accident or parental abandonment, the long-term effects can be astronomical.

In the United States there are over 120,000 orphans and 400,000 children that live without permanent families. While foster care and orphanages give children a temporary place to live, their need for a forever family doesn’t just go away.

orphanChildren need consistent comfort, support, and love, and they don’t always get that in foster care. Additionally, children who are abandoned are much more likely to suffer from abuse and poverty, and abused children are 80% more likely to develop at least one psychological disorder by the time they are twenty-one.

This is why advocating for adoption is part and parcel of the pro-life cause.

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But, unfortunately, adoption is not as common as it once was because of social stigmas and misconceptions. There are many people that believe a child who is adopted cannot be loved as much as a biological child and that adoption can be a damaging option for a family. However, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Services, 85% of children who are adopted are in excellent or very good health, the same as the general population. And 81% of adoptive parents described their relationships with their children as very warm and close.

The statistics are clear; adoption saves lives. Watch this heartbreaking video of an orphaned boy and consider what you can do to promote adoption.

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