Unadoptable

As part of our adoption training, Todd and I watch documentaries about adoption, adoptive issues, and China.

A few nights ago, we watched a movie called The Blood of Yingzhou District (2007). The movie follows a few orphans whose parents died from AIDS they contracted by selling their blood for money to support their families. The clinics that collected blood donations routinely mixed the blood, removed the plasma, and then replaced the blood into the donors. If one person had AIDS, suddenly 50+ people had AIDS.

In China, due to lack of education, HIV and AIDS are highly stigmatized. Children, who may not be infected, are completely shunned because their parents died from the disease. This means that they are turned away from orphanages, schools, and even from their relatives' homes.

While China now campaigns HIV/AIDS awareness in order to educate the public on the what the disease is and how it is spread, orphans are still marked as "unadoptable."

Being the bleeding heart that I am, after watching the movie, I immediately began googling HIV in order to better educate myself. Because, truth be told, I had checked the "No" box next to HIV on our Special Needs form.

What I found was shocking...mind blowing...and I feel so GUILTY. I am guilty of being afraid of something I knew very little about. HIV cannot be contracted by LIVING near someone. HIV doesn't live in blood that has been exposed to the air. HIV is now more manageable than diabetes. People with HIV can have healthy children and have a "normal" life expectancy.

But now the really sad part... while there are many people in the United States (and around the world) who are willing to and want to adopt a beautiful child who is HIV+ or is the orphan of HIV+ parents, China makes very few of these children available for adoption. Because, unfortunately, they think, "who would want them?"

So, if you are in the process of adoption or are considering adoption. Please. Make your voices heard. HIV/AIDS is a disease. It is not a death sentence. It does not define who a person IS or IS NOT. It is just a disease. But these children...they are LIVES. They are people who need love, compassion, and a family!

Check out the links below for more information and/or to support groups that are advocating for HIV+ children. And if you pray, please pray for these children.

http://www.chfaidsorphans.com
http://positivelyorphaned.org
http://www.bloodofyingzhou.com/
http://theresnoplacelikehome-family.blogspot.com/2013/02/adopting-hiv.html