It’s November − that means Thanksgiving, football, and family. However, something else is happening this month that often goes overlooked: National Adoption Month. This is a time to celebrate the families created through adoption and raise awareness for thousands of children anxiously waiting to find a family and home. As the adopted son of two loving parents, I hold National Adoption Month close to my heart.
Adoption is more than a legal process. For the parents and children involved, it’s a hope for the future and a joy that thousands of families get to experience every year. Adoption is the first chapter in a story of love and security for children as members of a new family. It gives parents the chance to multiply their household, share the blessing of a safe and secure home, and change a child’s life forever.
When my birth mother became pregnant with me, she faced an incredibly difficult choice. Her husband had passed away, she had two young boys to look after, and my birth father wanted her to terminate the pregnancy. She could not afford to raise another child, but thankfully, she bravely chose adoption. After spending the first two months of my life in foster care, I was blessed to be adopted by Jim and Judy Husted. They decided to build their family in Montpelier, Ohio, starting with me. We’re as close as any family, and I am so grateful I was adopted into a loving home.
Adoption not only changed my life, but the lives of every member of my family.
Recent progress offers hope, but too many kids are still left behind
As of 2023, it’s estimated that 343,077 American children are still in the child welfare system. More than 15,000 of those children come from Ohio. Thankfully, this estimate is down from 437,000 in 2018, which means we’re seeing real progress. While the work is far from over to find a home for every child in foster care, it is an amazing step forward.
I had the honor of joining the president earlier this month in the White House as he and the First Lady signed an executive order to support foster kids’ transition out of the system by expanding access to education, workforce, and career development resources. Too many kids age out of foster care without the love and support they need, and this executive order sets us on a path to help kids through increased educational and employment opportunities.
In the United States Senate, I’m working on legislation to support women who make the courageous decision to choose adoption and families hoping to grow through adoption.
Health care workers often play an important role in supporting women and families facing an unintended pregnancy, but many lack the training or resources to offer accurate, non-directive information about adoption. That is why I have introduced the Hospital Adoption Education Act of 2025, which would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to provide health care professionals with needed training and resources on best practices when discussing adoption with expecting mothers or prospective families.
I’m also co-leading bipartisan legislation called the Adoption Deserves Oversight, Protection, and Transparency (ADOPT) Act of 2025 with Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). The ADOPT Act aims to close loopholes exploited by unlicensed adoption facilitators, or “baby brokers,” in the interstate adoption process.
Baby brokers are unregulated intermediaries who charge expectant mothers and adoptive families $18,000 to $45,000 to broker adoptions. Unlike licensed adoption agencies, baby brokers are not bound by the ethical and legal framework that normally covers adoptions, opening their practices to fraud and abuse of all parties involved.
Kids in foster care need to know they are valued, not forgotten
As a kid who spent the beginning of my life in foster care, it is important to me that kids who are living in foster care know they are not forgotten. The sky is their limit. As one of their voices in the Senate, I will continue to work to create opportunities for children aging out of the foster system, support those still waiting to be adopted, and ensure every child has a shot at achieving their version of the American dream.
I hope you will join me in praying for families who choose adoption and for every child in foster care who is waiting to be welcomed into their forever home. Together, we can all be a blessing to children and families across our nation.
Jon Husted is a U.S. senator for Ohio and a former lieutenant governor.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Adoption changed my life and the lives of my entire family | Opinion
Reporting by Jon Husted, Opinion contributor / Cincinnati Enquirer
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