Persuasive Speech

Name Date Persuasion Class Period

Foster to Adopt

General Purpose: To Persuade Specific Speech Purpose: To persuade my audience to considering adopting a child through the foster care system because it would lover the percentage of child trafficking victims, it would lower the drug usage, and it’s a more affordable option for adopting a child.

Introduction

Attention Getter: Joyce Maguire Pavao, founder of the Adoption Resource Canter, said, “Adoption is not about finding children for families, it’s about finding families for children.”

Reason to Listen: Adoption can be extremely intimidating to people wishing to adopt due to the high monetary cost and overwhelming legal and paper work that has to be done. However, fostering to adopt would not only lessen child human trafficking, substance abuse, but also provide families an opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child at a reasonable cost.

Credibility: I have wanted to adopt since I was about 13 years old. Although, I haven’t adopted yet, my husband and I have had the privilege of fostering for about one year, and plan to “foster to adopt” after I graduate college.

Statement of Intent: Good afternoon class, today I will persuade you to consider adopting a child through foster care because it would lower the percentage of child human trafficking victims, lower drug abuse, and it is an affordable option for adopting a child

Body

(First, adopting a child through a foster home helps reduce child trafficking.)

I. Reduces the percentage of child trafficking

A. Evidence: According to The International Labour Organization, there are 40.3 million

victims of human trafficking globally – 25% of those are children. In 2017, an estimated 1 out of 7 endangered runaways reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were likely child sex trafficking victims; furthermore, 88% of those were foster children.

B. Explanation: Traffickers prey upon the vulnerability of foster children. Traffickers promise them love and shelter as a way of manipulating them into acts of slavery. Traffickers, pimps, and exploiters have no fear of punishment because they rely on the lack of attention that occurs when these young people go missing. There are no Amber Alerts, no posters, when youth from the foster care system disappear. Many children “age out” of the system and are left to make it on their own and unfortunately get caught up in human slavery. By adopting a child from a foster home, will help reduce the increasing statistics of child trafficking.

( Secondly, adopting a child through a foster home helps reduce the chance of drug abuse.)

II. Reduces the percentage of drug usage

A. Evidence: Drugrehab .com says children from unstable households are more likely to participate in substance abuse. Adoption is permanent – no more moving from home to home. According to Drugabuse.gov factors such as nurturing parents and a strong school environment allows healthy development and lessens the risk of substance abuse.

B. Explanation: My foster child’s mother was a foster child herself. She began doing drugs at a very early age and had already lost two other children previously, making my foster baby her third. Her experience in the foster care system was not ideal and a lot of unsupervised time unfortunately led her down the path of alcohol and drug abuse cultivating a vicious cycle for this family. As a foster parent, I’m not trying to cast a bad light on foster parents. It is just the foster care system has an abundance of children bouncing around from home to home creating an unstable environment. Adoption is permanent – no more moving from home to home. Thus, providing a stable environment through permanent adoption, something that foster families might not be able to provide in a system laden with problems, will help lower the risk of substance abuse.

(Lastly, adoption through foster care is a more affordable option.)

III. Adoption is more affordable when facilitated through the foster care system.

A. Evidence: Adoption through a private agency is often avoided because it comes with a hefty price tag. Bethany.org says domestic and international adoption cost between $20,000 - $40,000. According to adoptuskids.org, when adopting through foster care, there are little to no fees because these adoptions are funded by the state. If out of pocket expenses do arise, many can be reimbursed through the federal or state programs once the adoption is finalized. Children adopted through the foster system are provided state paid healthcare, and parents also receive ongoing financial assistance each month until the child is eighteen.

B. Explanation: While agencies are making great strides in helping place children in adoptive homes, so many other children are missing out simply because of the stigma around the cost of adoption. Many families claim they would love to adopt, but never do so because of the expenses involved. Adopting a child through the foster care system is a much more affordable option.

Conclusion

Transitional Sentence: In conclusion, fostering to adopt would not only lessen child human trafficking, substance abuse, but also provide families an opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child at a reasonable cost.

Briefly Summarize: Most everyone in this room is still quite young and probably won’t be signing up for fostering anytime soon. That’s ok; but I do beg of you, when the time comes to being your family planning, consider the young boy who longs for a dad to toss a football with him or the beautiful young girl that wants a mommy to kiss away her bad dreams at night.

Memorable Statement: Giving children a fair chance to achieve their dreams is possible if only people would consider to adopt through the foster system. Thank you.

Works Cited

Heesch, Jessica. “Why Adoption is Not about Finding Children for Families.” Adoption.com.

www.adoption.com September 02, 2018.

Medefind, Jed. “Human Trafficking & Orphans: The 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report.

Principles of Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Research-Based Guide. www.cafo.org Accessed April 20, 2018

The Facts. www.polarisproject.org Accessed April 20, 2018

Behind the Nations Foster Care Crisis. May 31, 2017. www.drugrehab.com Accessed May 30,

2018.

Blue Campaign: What is Human Trafficking? www.dhs.gov Accessed April 10, 2018

“How Much Does Adoption Cost?” www.bethany.org Accessed April 20, 2018

What is the Cost of Adoption from Foster Care? www.adoptuskids.org Accessed Apriil 10, 2018