Here is a glimpse into my life as an adopting mother.
Today at my workplace we had a representative from Aflac come talk to us about supplemental insurance. He told me all about the short term disability plan that they offer. He said that it will pay up to 70% of your income for 6 weeks while you are on maternity leave. That sounded perfect. I was all ready to sign up and I said, “does it matter that I am adopting?” He made a call to the corporate headquarters to find out. The answer was NO. They will only pay for maternity leave if I give birth to the child. How is this fair? It isn’t. If the federal government can recognizes adoption the same as a biological birth in the Family Medical Leave Act, then why can’t Aflac?
The truth is, if anybody needs benefits, it’s adopting families.
My husband and I do not have any children. We have tried for 10 years. We started our journey to adoption in August 2006. Since that time we have been fingerprinted at the C.I.S., our background check ran numerous times, countless number of visits in our home with social workers, doctor visits, endless piles of paperwork, online courses and let’s not forget the enormous cost that is involved in an adoption. Needless to say there are many hoops you have to jump through for an adoption. Don’t get me wrong, it is all worth it. It is just a little disheartening when you go through so much to have a child and then be told that you do not have the same rights that a biological mother has.
I’m sorry, but I have a hard time swallowing the fact that a 15 year old girl can irresponsibly go out one night, get pregnant and have more rights as a mother than I do. As a matter of fact, she can get Medicaid, WIC, etc. and not even have to pay for a thing. The real kicker tough, guess who is paying for it? Me, as a taxpayer. There are so many programs and benefits available for pregnant girls, but where are the benefits for those of us that are unable to conceive?
A family is a family. It can be made biologically or of different races and different cultures. It doesn’t matter how it was created. It is still a family and ALL families deserve the same rights.
2 comments:
Ohhh, I would fight it! If it is recognized by the feds they have to do it too! You would win!
My name is Allison and I live in Chilton County and know your parents very well. My husband and I adopted a baby boy last year. You are so right about the maternity leave. It was so hard to be off all those weeks with no pay. I could not believe that adoption was not recognized as paid leave. I can understand it not being listed under STD because of the physical aspect of it but adopting mothers need that time off to bond just like any other moms.
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