The World Does Not Need More Children; It Needs More Parents

            As global citizens, it is our duty to take into account the needs of others when making our own personal choices. Having children is selfish when there are already children who need parents. If one has the financial resources, the ability, and the desire to support a child, one can do so by sponsoring or adopting an orphan.

            According to UNICEF, there are 153 million children worldwide who have lost one or both parents. This number has risen steadily over recent years due to HIV/AIDS, poverty, the difficult adoption process, and war. Though we can try solving these problems- curing AIDS, for example, there will be a much more direct and timely response if we act with what we can do – provide financial assistance to the orphans and their families. It would be difficult to predict the end of a war because it relies upon too many unknown factors, however, dealing with the fact that a child has lost one or both parents, we can then provide a reactive response. While children are losing their parents overnight, it seems irresponsible to even think of having children. The world does not need more children; it needs more parents. Why have a child when there are already children in need of parenting?

            America has orphans that need help too, so it isn’t just a global issue, it’s a local one we can help solve. According to the Department of Health and Human Services; Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System, there are an estimated 120,000 orphans in the United States. The world is already overpopulated so we should help the current population, instead of overpopulating the world further without simultaneously working on the problems we already face.

Of course, adopting an orphan is not the only way to alleviate the problem. Sponsorships exists through non-profits, which support orphans financially. The cost of sponsoring orphaned children ranges from $516-$780/year, through one of several non-profit organizations, such as Every Orphan or Islamic Relief. This amount translates to $1.50 to $2 a day. These types of programs provide financial assistance and focus on keeping the child in an environment that is familiar to them, i.e. without having to move to a completely different location.
           Having biological children has benefits so we should not stop procreating altogether, we should merely also take into account and acknowledge the issue of orphaned children when deciding on having children. The apparent advantages of biological children are also not as guaranteed as they seem- when it comes to diseases, genetics, and problems with conception and birth.

          Hopeful parents who have trouble conceiving a child naturally will turn to other methods, such as in vitro fertilization and surrogacy, spending thousands of dollars along the way relying just on the hope that their efforts will be fruitful and a baby will be conceived. Spending money to have a baby could be the same money spent to adopt or sponsor a child. The money was going to be spent on a child anyway.

If the goals of parenting are merely to have a child from one’s own genetics for inheritance purposes and to keep the family bloodline going, then adopting an orphan will not serve this purpose. However, this goal lies upon the assumption that the offspring will reproduce and their offspring will reproduce and so on and so forth, which is a very large assumption which may not prove true.

          In addition, one should be cognizant of the reality one lives in.  Though orphans were not a main concern for our forefathers, it is now a different world we live in and through the use of technology, we are more connected to the world around us. This connection to the world around us creates a responsibility to help and not be ignorant when others are in need and when we can help solve the problem. Through television and news outlets we are able to view the devastation and circumstances that cause children to lose their parents. Acknowledging the problem of orphaned children around the world, we must act in a manner that addresses the issue. Whether we sponsor orphans, sponsor organizations that help orphans, or adopt orphans ourselves, we cannot treat child-bearing as a selfish means to a selfish end. Having a child can be a benefit or cost to society, but it mainly depends upon the parenting and resources available to the child.