Fox News’ Laura Ingraham is the single mother of three internationally adopted children, though she infrequently mentions it. In a rare interview on the subject this week, she told TheWrap that the adoption process must be apolitical because children are “not commodities.”
Though the host of primetime’s “The Ingraham Angle” takes a political stance on nearly everything — or at least everything she discusses on-air between 10-11 p.m. ET — she is adamant that politics not impact the adoption process, internationally or domestically.
“Adoption, first and foremost, needs to be about the children,” Ingraham said. “What’s best for them? Children should never be used as ‘bargaining chips’ by one nation against another. They’re not commodities. This should never be about politics. Preventing the adoption of a child of any age into a loving, safe home is selfish and cruel. Would streamlining background checks, home visits mean cutting corners that would put them in jeopardy? No one wants to see that happen. One horror story of adoptive parents abusing kids is all it takes for a country to shut down all their international adoptions, leaving tens, even hundreds, of thousands of kids without a forever home.”
Ingraham said the process of creating her family “sure was difficult” and recalled some of the hurdles she had to overcome in adopting her kids, adding, “My youngest, at age 11, was among the last group of the inter-country adoptions granted by the Russian government before banning all future adoptions to American families.”
Further, few countries even allow single parents to adopt, she explained, and domestically, birth mothers who place their babies up for adoption often specify they want their children placed in two-family homes. (Ingraham called that “totally understandable.”)
“I knew it would be hard to go through the adoption process — and it was, with too many ups and downs to recount — but until you’re a parent, you have no idea how challenging it is to be one. Even as someone with financial means, raising children as a single parent is the hardest thing I’ll ever do. Since God blessed me, I felt a responsibility to give more of myself, married or not, to children who needed a family. And I always dreamed of being a mom,” she said.
Ingraham’s children are 16, 13 and 11. The oldest, originally from Guatemala, is mature, compassionate and “eager to get her license.” The middle child is “growing like a weed” and a skilled Lego craftsman. The youngest is “stubborn, strong, smart, and sensitive.” Though there were challenges to creating the family the kids comprise, Ingraham grateful — and has tips for anyone who is considering adoption of their own: “Talk to as many adoptive parents as you can. Understand that this is a life-long commitment with no guarantees. Get organized. Keep files of everything. Sign up with a respected adoption agency. Sadly, there are disreputable attorneys out there who will waste your time and bleed you dry. Do your research. Be patient yet determined to get through the process once you decide for sure. Trust in God.”
“Encouraging and celebrating adoption is one of the few issues that unite people from both parties. Let’s get to work,” she said.