A Hartford Courant opinion editorial supporting adoption and simultaneously slamming Justice Barrett of the Supreme Court as uneducated about the costs of adoption is at best, incomplete

Anti-abortion and Abortion rights advocates demonstrate in front of the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, in Washington, as the court hears arguments in a case from Mississippi, where a 2018 law would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, well before viability. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana) (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

A Hartford Courant opinion editorial supporting adoption and simultaneously slamming Justice Barrett of the Supreme Court as uneducated about the costs of adoption is at best, incomplete. The writer repackaged Justice Barrett’s precise legal questions about safe haven laws (available in every state) during oral argument in Dobbs v. Jackson to grossly suit a pro-Roe narrative. (See also FIC’s Writ of Certiorari.)

Truth be told, Justice Barrett didn’t even mention adoption during her questioning. Is the writer aware that Justice Barrett is the mother of seven children, including two adopted children, Vivian and John Peter? That therefore she must be acutely aware of adoption expenses both emotional and financial? This is a genuine question for me because no doubt Mr. Woods has an interest in being fair and the Courant has an interest in good writing. But it was a fantastic assertion to conflate Justice Barrett’s legal line of questioning with her having no knowledge of the expense of adoptions. I suppose Mr. Woods just wanted us “to know” about the expense.

But to what end? So what if adoption is emotionally and financially expensive? Can we for once discuss what the alternative has been – the untold mass murder of unwanted humans, the emotional toll on women caused by abortion, the disruption of families and the development of a toxic legal and political culture caused by Roe’s insertion of abortion into every facet of public life. Surely we can do better as a society and as I write this I want to actually thank Mr. Woods for being willing to discuss his personal struggle and joy found in adoption. More honest discussions like this can help us make adoption better in our state. Let’s pray for Mr. Woods, for his beloved family and for lawmakers and public leaders as our country, God willing, begins a new chapter and ability to discuss the real cost of Roe v. Wade and hopefully future alternatives, including adoption.