posted on April 29, 2004 12:00:07 PM new
I read that ABC is coming out with a new reality show where 5 couples compete to adopt a baby. I know you thought that "Family Plots" was the lowest Near, but to me, this takes the cake!
posted on April 29, 2004 12:36:09 PM new
IIRC, it's not actually a "game"of any type. They seem to have followed a 16 yr-old girl as she is courted by several couples who want to adopt her baby when it's born, and through her decision making process. The single broadcast will air on 20/20. This Friday, I think.
******
Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
April 28 —This week's 20/20 is extraordinary. It is the story of an adoption of one baby, but it involves the lives of five families who want to adopt the child, and a 16-year-old pregnant girl who wants to find a loving home for her baby while still remaining part of his life. She wants a very "open" adoption.
The method by which she, and the adoption agency helping her, go about that process is controversial. The birth mother, Jessica, after reviewing dozens of applications from prospective parents, chooses five couples to interview. On the basis of those interviews — which unfold before your eyes on the program — she comes to a decision.
The program is a remarkable opportunity to live through the heart wrenching, poignant and extremely difficult days of Jessica's decision — for her, and for the families involved. For the record, we should say that 20/20 simply reports what happened: we did not choose the participants nor exert any influence on what they did. This is not one of those scripted "reality shows" — it is reality!
Jessica and the prospective parents agreed to the presence of our cameras because they saw it as an opportunity to demonstrate the benefits of open adoption, its soul-searching and anguish as well as its love and commitment. We saw it as an opportunity to document what many see as the cutting edge of adoption.
20/20 has brought you many adoption stories over the years; it is a subject close to our heart. We've shown you the dreadful plight of Romania's forgotten children, the international tug-of-war over orphans in Cambodia, and even introduced you to my daughter, Jackie. She grew up knowing that she, as I told her frequently, was "born in my heart."
When I adopted Jackie, more than 30 years ago, open adoption was virtually unheard of. Twenty years ago, the figure was about 1 percent. Today, more than 60 percent of all adoptions are open to some degree. The adoption you will witness on Friday's program is wide-open, by any standard.
Judging by the e-mails coming in already, there was a great deal of misunderstanding about the program. Some of that may be due to overly zealous promotion on our part; frankly, some of our initial on-air promos went a little over the top. But I urge you to withhold your judgment until you watch the program.
Watching the procedure unfold, and then becoming involved in it, gave me a personal opportunity to learn a great deal about open adoption. I was able to meet with the adoption agency, with Jessica and her family and with all of the parents who participated in the "competition" for Jessica's child. I was even able to hold her newborn son in my arms.
What I discovered is that this process was right for Jessica, for the parents who will raise her child, and perhaps for others. It is not for everyone; it is a matter of choices. As you will see, this is a story of love extended and embraced, of lives changed.
Be sure to join us, Friday at 10 o'clock (9 o'clock Central) for 20/20, and then let me know what you think. My e-mail address is [email protected].
Sincerely,
Barbara Walters
******
Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there --Clare Booth Luce
posted on April 29, 2004 12:46:20 PM new
You're welcome!!
We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. -- John F. Kennedy
[ edited by bunnicula on Apr 29, 2004 12:46 PM ]
[ edited by bunnicula on Apr 29, 2004 12:48 PM ]
