We’ve been fed this idea that reproduction should immediately follow marriage. It’s become nothing short of a cliché at this point.
Newly weds constantly under pressure from family members to get knocked up on their honeymoon.
Thousands of prospective parents across the world resorting to expensive fertility treatments to try and conceive even though they can’t afford it.
Even has orphanages keep filling up with unwanted children. Parenthood should belong to everyone regardless of their marital status, socioeconomic background, or gender.
It is well within your right of course to procreate naturally. But this doesn’t mean that parents still cant adopt, even if they have biological children of their own.
Here are just some reasons why you should consider adoption, as a childless couple, a nuclear family, or even as a single man/woman.
The Reality of Orphanhood in Malaysia
Institutionalised children have always been a mistreated group. They are often squeezed into close quarters, given poor education, and denied basic human decency.
Cases of peer bullying, rape, grooming, misappropriation of funds and other crimes have been reported in many orphanages.
Some of these injustices go undetected for years. Moreover, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of orphanages have risen.
Children whose parents were COVID-19 casualties and are now homeless.
These children are then shipped to a strange place with other children they don’t recognise and adults who boss them around against their will.
That is not to mention the problem with orphanages themselves. Most are understaffed, underequipped and underfunded.
Even with amazing organisations like OrphanCare and Rumah Solehah who are working tirelessly to rehome as many children and babies as they can, the children who come in every day outnumber the ones who leave for better lives.
Those who have reached 18 years of age leave their temporary homes for an uncertain future with no prospects or safety net.
The effects of being deprived of parental love and attention over the course of their childhood can also leave orphans with long-lasting emotional scars.
Those who manage to survive into adulthood often spiral into alcoholism, self-harm, depression, poverty, crime and other social problems as a result of their less than ideal upbringing.
It can be hard to conceive a world where children are forced into that kind of life through no fault of their own.
After all, none of these children asked to be born and yet they are held responsible for the follies of adults. It doesn’t seem fair does it?
Overpopulation Crisis
Humanitarianism efforts aside, there is a much more immediate and practical reason why adoption is beneficial.
Not only for families, but countries and the world at large. We all know by now that the planet is going through an overpopulation crisis.
Too many people and not enough food, resources, and housing to ensure everyone is taken care of.
There is also the matter of global food shortage, climate change, and other problems that overpopulation causes.
In places where there is not much access to sexual contraceptives, sexual education or sexual healthcare, kids are being more left and right into poverty, starvation and disease.
While Malaysia isn’t quite there yet, we have already begun to see the effects of an overpopulated community.
In small and mundane ways. Traffic congestion, uncontrollable crowds, slum houses, poverty, inflation and rising prices.
This is not to say that you shouldn’t or can’t start your own family. But think really carefully whether the planet really needs more people on it.
That’s why family planning is so important even if you don’t decide to adopt.
It’s sad that undereducated, impoverished people don’t have access to sex education, which is why you often see poor families with 3 or more children.
So for those of us who do know the consequences of overpopulation, it’s important to assess the pros and cons of procreating.
Pregnancy Risk and Infertility
Some of these complications leave irreversible physiological damage, and in some cases even death.
So for some women, getting pregnant and having biological children naturally (without a surrogate for instance) is a matter of life and death.
High-risk pregnancy is often associated with high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, epilepsy, thyroid disease, heart or blood disorders, poorly controlled asthma, and infections.
If you have any of these conditions the likelihood that you won’t survive the pregnancy is higher.
On the flipside, other women have the opposite problem. They are unable to get pregnant in the first place.
Often prompting many to seek expensive fertility treatments that have low success rates.
The result is thousands down the drain and a world of disappointment. Adoption is usually the last resort for these kinds of cases.
Partly due to the stigma surrounding the practice that society has enforced over the decades.
Which is why more people should adopt, to destigmatise adoption and allow more women (and men) to start families without prejudice.
Giving Orphans a Second Chance
It can be such a sad and tragic to think that a lot of these orphans would have grown up to change the world in their own way.
They could have become scientists, politicians, teachers, and amazing parents.
But they are often denied this chance because parents would rather raise biological children.
The stigma around adoption is also pretty bad in Malaysia even though its a viable option for many childless couples. Instead of adopting they jump through various expensive hoops.
But if you’ve tried so hard to conceive a child but were unsuccessful, perhaps the universe has other plans for you.
Perhaps you are destined to be one of these pure, noble souls whose cosmic mandate is to rescue an unwanted child and raise them to be leaders, innovators and trailblazers.
Truly admirable individuals who can pave a better future for the forgotten, mistreated children of the world.
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