It's a reality, and you only solve a problem when you acknowledge the truth of the problem. This is a long-time issue, but I think we've come a long way in how we talk about adoption. I'm thinking about the forced adoptions many women went through in my mother's time, when 16-year-old women were sent to a home and forced to give their babies up for adoption, never to talk about it again. There is the trauma of that mother living her life...and that child, who never knows who she is.
There is a very big discussion here, but let's go back to the basics of this legislation, which seems so small in the grand scheme of things but so significant. It's the little things. It's step by step. This would provide an extra 15 weeks, which has never been considered.
On top of this legislation changing how long parents can attach to their children, do you think it also has value in sending a message that adoptive and intended parents share equity in parenting? Do you think there's a value in that part of the legislation?