Adoption: Give a Child Hope and a Home

What does your congressman have in common with Little Couple stars Bill Klein and Dr. Jennifer Arnold, Scandal’s and Grey Anatomy’s creator Shonda Rhimes, and Jockey Chairman & CEO Debra Steigerwaldt Waller? All of us have an adoption story and were recognized at the recent Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute Gala for our efforts in making a difference in the lives of children in need of permanent, loving families.

All human life is precious and worth protecting.  This belief compelled my wife Angela and I to adopt our four children.  In fact, I still remember meeting our two daughters for the first time, at airports of all places.  First it was in 1997 when Angela and I flew to Miami and were nervously looking forward to that first time we were going to hold our oldest daughter Natasha.  Two years later in Kansas City, I held Natasha in one hand and a dozen roses in the other waiting for Angela to step off the plane with our second daughter Rebecca.  400 miles later we arrived at home just in time for Christmas Eve mass -- what a Christmas gift indeed.

I know that my story is not unique, but shared by countless other adoptive families. Yet around the world millions of vulnerable children are still searching for a family to call their own. Americans understand that the family and marriage is the bedrock of any society, and children deserve the long-lasting love, care, and protection of a family.  Here in America more than 400,000 children are currently living in foster care, approximately 100,000 of these kids are eagerly awaiting mothers and fathers to adopt them.  In Kansas alone, there are more than 5,000 children in foster care, with just under 900 needing adoption.

As a member of the Foster Youth Adoption Caucus, I have been a vocal advocate for adoption; promoting tax credits to assist adoptive parents, cutting through red tape restricting adoption, and honoring birth families.  Additionally, members of Congress may nominate a family in their District to be recognized as "Angels in Adoption," an award sponsored by our Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.  This year I was privileged to honor Eric and Sara Webster of Pretty Prairie who welcomed their sons Joe and Josh into their family in 2013.

Adoption is a blessing that celebrates the ultimate gifts of life and family. This November marks National Adoption Awareness month, and I encourage those families who feel called to adopt, to step forward and prayerfully consider this loving option. Trust me: if you are blessed with adoption, you'll never forget those first precious moments when they become your own.  

• Congressman Tim Huelskamp represents the First District of Kansas in the U.S. House of Representatives and is the proud father of four children by adoption.