Adoption

There was recently a story on one of the national news programs that spotlighted a woman who was adopted at birth and her desire to locate her birth parents in an effort to save her sick son by uncovering pertinent family medical history.

After some investigation on her part and with the aid of a professional she located her birth mother. Unfortunately, the birth mother's current husband and children never knew she had this child some 40 years ago and she preferred to keep it that way.

With the pending laws that are being passed in various states, with Maine being the first, sometime in the near future, agencies will begin opening adoption records. Something as simple as a written letter will put individuals that much closer to their birth parents.

This is a double edged sword. There are millions of adopted people that would love....need... to know their birth parents but are terribly afraid of rejection. Imagine the hurt and pain you'd feel after building up the courage to locate this person only to have them reject you, I couldn't even fathom.

Then there is the parents' point of view. There are many extenuating circumstances that would force a person to give up their child. Often times it is the most selfless act a person can perform.

But imagine, just for a minute that you were a very young person, possibly a teenager. You were in no condition to care for a child so you made the ultimate sacrifice to give this child up for adoption in hopes that you are giving them a chance at a wonderful life.

Many years have passed and you have gotten your life in order, grown up and have a family of your very own. Because you were so young and this event happened so many years ago in your past you thought it would never touch your "new" life so you don't mentioned it ever again to anyone.

Fast forward 40 years later and you receive a phone call from the past. You would have an awful lot of explaining to do. What do you do? Turn this person away who has been desperately trying to find you or do you take your grown up pill and tell your family of your past?