Editorial: Romania’s March for Life 2014 – “Adoption, The Noble Choice“ / „Pentru viață” magazine, Spring 2014
by Alexandra Nadane
I. What have we done in a year?
In the first issue of our magazine, I wrote about the change brought in my life by a young woman who was going through a pregnancy crisis. I met her when I was 16. Her pro-life choice, the way things happened and the fact that now she has a family with three kids made me aware that support for mothers, children and family is one of the most important forms of social responsibility. This is how Studenți pentru Viață came into being, this is how I met my colleagues, this is how dear friends who wanted to get involved joined us, and together we’ve tried to offer love, encouraging and support to young women in crisis situations.
A year has passed and I feel emotional writing about all that happened. We have witnessed extraordinary things, especially as we solved some problems by making the impossible happen. This is how I’ve noticed that, when you are ready to make a sacrifice, to get out of the comfort zone, God makes miracles. This is true of all the people who contributed – even just a little – to this effort which goes far beyond our powers. We are deeply grateful to each and every person who helped us, especially to those who did this in the most secret and discreet way.
II. What have we understood in a year?
The responsibility of organizing the March for Life in Bucharest and coordinate all data on its sister events nation-wide is a real test – not as much for our organizational abilities as for our souls.
This time we’ve turned to the parents. We’ve also listened to children. We knew about those who uttered a silent scream. Now we’ve hear those who tell about the difficulties of a child who appears unexpectedly in his or her parent’s life.
“In school they pointed fingers on us (they called us “the foster kids“), we were offended, derided, humiliated, torn apart by sharp words. We were outcasts… In our prayers we only asked for parents, not for toy. We begged for a smile. We were begging for love!“, a mother of four now writes about her childhood before being adopted.
“I was crying, but, when Mom first took me in her arms, a divine connection appeared – I grew quiet and she fell in love with me“, tells us an adopted daughter about her first meeting with her new mother.
“Who doesn’t love children, who is not able to give love, who cannot sacrifice himself for others, who cannot forget about oneself should not adopt a child! Adopting a child does not only mean changing an unhappy destiny, it also means fulfilling one’s life“, wrote a mother who adopted two children.
You will read these testimonies in this magazine. They have shown us an ascending path. What lies at the top of it is most aptly described by the last gestures of the orthodox religious service held for adoption: “The adopted kneels before the adopting parent, who raises him, saying: ′Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee′ (Ps. 2, 7), and embraces him while the priest gives his blessings“. New life buds, new people in a new family grow of what might have been the ashes of certain lives. There’s no better definition for nobleness.
III. What do we want for the future?
Romania can and must build the future of its most vulnerable children through policies adapted to reality and internationally tested. We need the Romanian adoption law to provide for real solutions to common situations. For example, we need to legalize starting the adoption process during pregnancy. This will greatly reduce abandonment and infant death and, according to statistics from other countries, where this practice is quite successful for years, will offer to many children the chance to enjoy the loving care of real family – which is the only environment that can give them wings to become accomplished people.
Talk to your family, to your friends, to the lawmakers. Tell them why adoption is always the noble choice.
And some practical advice. In Romania, to adopt, you have to follow first the Course for acquiring the abilities of an adoptive parent. Follow it, who knows when a child will cry after you, naming you “father“ or “mother“!
Photo: Diana Cristescu
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