It's okay folks, Dick has the answer!!

Here's a quote from a switched on religious fella in America (of the Southern Baptist variety), about a nifty social policy for the 21st century. Richard, or Dick as I prefer to call him, has it all sorted - brilliant!! 

In case you're wondering - I could not disagree more, or be more disgusted. These comments make me feel sick, from the deepest part of my soul - they cause an indescribable, visceral, cellular-level reaction. 

Dick by name, dickhead by nature it seems! 

A couple of observations - firstly, and hopefully most obviously, this guy seems to be a lunatic, a hopefully endangered in his thinking kind of moron. Secondly, all babies come into the world courtesy of a mother and a father, so Dick's 'chosen family' premise takes a pretty big hit on that front. Thirdly, babies aren't commodities - and they have this terrible habit of growing into teens, then adults, who have lots of issues around being adopted. 

It is disgusting to read comments like this. Utterly horrifying. I am an adoptee, so I have decades of first hand experience at this adoption biz. 

Adoption isn't easy, or without lifelong consequences. The ripple effect is immense... for mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers, grandparents, and way beyond - for the adoptee, the parents who gave the child life, the parents who raise adopted kids, and into all the significant relationships all those people have. 

It seems people are reluctant to really talk about the full impact of adoption*** - people really want it to be 'for the best' and even righteous. The fundamental problems around such naive beliefs have come to the fore in the past few years in Australia, after decades of activism from mostly single mothers who had their children removed by force, with state and federal governments, churches and hospitals finally apologising for past mistakes. 

Dick doesn't seem to have received the memo. I'll offer him one tip for his strategy - don't teach those babies in need of god's preferred family to speak - it may come back and bite you one day. 

Annette 

***It is not possible to discuss every aspect of adoption here. This reflection is a response to these quoted comments by Richard Land. I do not utterly condemn adoption, nor do I unreservedly support it. 

The power of "sorry"

Last day in Canberra today (Saturday 23/3/13), it has been a great break.

Being at Thursday's national apology for forced adoptions was something really special.

I don't know that I can deftly describe the feeling of being with a large group of people who have a variation of your own journey written on their souls... it was amazing. At home amongst all those sister strangers. There were tears, snatches of conversations about unique lives all somehow marked by the same wounds murmuring all around, a few jeers (nice work Tone), heartfelt applause, and lots of moments of relief and maybe even a few heavy, heavy loads being laid down as people were told by the PM, we finally hear you, we see you, we are sorry we abandoned you in your most vulnerable moment, we will help you to gain some semblance of healing... breathtaking stuff.

And Canberra may have more than the usual population of power-hungry loons, but the city is beautiful, elegantly laid out and offers more than you could possibly imbibe, enjoy and marvel at in five days.

I'll definitely be back.

And Julia, when history records your time as Prime Minister, Thursday 21/3/13 won't be remembered by those present in the Great Hall as the attempted spilling of political power - but as a day when we came together, spilled tears and stories over a shameful past, tears over losses unknown, tears with the power to heal as they fall, and that makes it a day I will never forget.

Bringing things into the light... never too late, and so powerful.

For Andrea.