November is National Adoption Awareness Month. In his address to adoptive families in September 2000, Saint John Paul II stated: “To adopt a child is a great work of love. When it is done, much is given, but much is also received. It is a true exchange of gifts.”
He continued,
Adopting children, regarding and treating them as one’s own children, means recognizing that the relationship between parents and children is not measured only by genetic standards. Procreative love is first and foremost a gift of self. There is a form of “procreation” which occurs through acceptance, concern, and devotion. The resulting relationship is so intimate and enduring that it is in no way inferior to one based on a biological connection. When this is also juridically protected, as it is in adoption, in a family united by the stable bond of marriage, it assures the child that peaceful atmosphere and that paternal and maternal love which he needs for his full human development.
American Life League understands the importance adoption plays in our society and culture. It is the fulfillment of the divine plan impacting countless lives, building the culture of life. In observance of National Adoption Awareness Month, we share the joy of 16 Instagram users who opened their homes and families to children in need of one.