Great Laura Ingraham Interview with Craig Juntunen

Such a great interview with Craig Juntunen from May 2013! 

AUDIO ONLY: Craig Juntunen on the Laura Ingraham Show

Respect and Scorn

How can we respect AND scorn the difficult decisions of birthmothers, universally rooted in the child's best interest, based on where a child is born? Check out this great post from Craig Juntunen blog.

Revealing A Dichotomy: by Craig Juntunen

I was at a gathering the other night and as we were talking in a small group the subject of adoption came up. A new acquaintance told the story of how her young niece had recently chosen adoption for her newborn daughter. The young woman's decision was based on her difficult personal circumstances: she is a teenager, she is not married, she does not have a full-time job, and has little ability to support the baby's needs and development.

The reaction of the group was unanimous. They recognized the painful decision this young mother made was grounded and rooted in love, and although giving a child up for adoption is easily understood to be an emotionally difficult decision, it is an intelligent and appropriate decision representing the best interest of the child. We all respected the young woman's decision.

When a birth mother or family in the United States chooses adoption, our society respects, even applauds the selfless decision and action because we accept the decision in the context of what is best for the child. However, when this similar scenario plays out in third world countries, we criticize and question a mother's and families' decision to place a child up for adoption due to harsh practical realities. Even though the decision to utilize adoption represents the best course of action for the child, international adoption has become ultra-controversial, and is viewed differently than an adoption that takes place in our country. We have developed a distinctive arrogance of what is right and wrong for a child seemingly based on borders and geography. Many argue taking a child out of one culture to join a family in another culture is robbing a child of the birth heritage and should never happen. We have a hard time accepting cross-pollinating race and heritage as a cultural asset, and view it instead as a personal liability. Think of the many friends you know who were born in one country and during their childhood moved to another country. Ask them if moving to another country was traumatizing and damaging to their human condition, or ultimately an experience that allowed them to expand their human condition. Better yet, ask any child living in an orphanage whether they would prefer to have culture and heritage or a permanent family.

If we are really going to evolve into a functioning global society, why can't we accept, embrace, and promote cross-border adoption in the same light we accept and promote domestic adoption? Are we still quietly clinging to the notion that a segregated society is a better society?

Any family, irrespective of where they live, can offer a child the love, the safety and the nurturing every child needs. Why do we draw the line and believe domestic adoption is a positive part of society, and international adoption is a dirty word? Why are we allowing kids to grow up in stark, filthy orphanages or on the streets, just because the family they could be part of today requires them to get a passport and a plane ticket?

What are your thoughts?

STUCK – The Documentary Film Tour and Movement

March 30, 2013

Hosted by Kelly Ellison

[Download MP3] [itunes] [Bookmark Episode]

Join us this week as Craig Juntunen, president and founder of Both Ends Burning a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving as a child welfare advocate and a passionate believer in international adoption visits with us about the national tour of the documentary film STUCK. Juntunen is the author of Both Ends Burning: My Story of Adopting Three Children from Haiti and the Executive Producer of film. Juntunen leads the campaign’s effort to build a social movement to enact real and lasting change for the world’s orphaned and abandoned children. Craig will share his personal story of how this movement became the center of his life and what you can do to join him in his efforts to make sure that every child has a family.

Both Ends Burning Campaign

Dear Hopscotch Adoptions Families,

My name is Craig Juntunen, and I am the founder of the Both Ends Burning Campaign, a non-profit foundation dedicated to creating a culture of adoption.  My guess is you are as angry and frustrated as I am with the eight straight years of decline in international adoptions in our country and around the world, especially in light of the available and abundant solution in the form of families who would like to adopt these children.

About Both Ends Burning.

Both Ends Burning is leading a movement to demand change, and we invite you  to join forces with us to create the political and social will to drive real change and ultimately reverse the declining trend line in adoptions.

Our first step in working together is to expose the issue so we can be in a position to promote solutions. We are taking on the monumental task of a 60-city barnstorming tour to form a loud and proactive voice for the children who are currently being ignored. You can influence the outcome of this tour. 

STUCK the documentary premieres in Raleigh and Charlotte.

The centerpiece for the tour is the new, award-winning documentary STUCK.  We will premier the film in Raleigh on March 2 and Charlotte on March 3. In Raleigh the screening will take place at the Grand 16.  The Charlotte premier will be at the Northlake Mall 14 Theater.

To see the trailer for the film, learn more about both the tour and our volunteer needs and to purchase tickets for the premiere in your city, please go to www.bothendsburning.org.

STUCK is a testament to the power of human love and the undeniable connection between parent and child – even when separated by thousands of miles and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. It is a love story of a different kind that celebrates the human spirit, the loyalty and the devotion that bonds these parents and kids together as families.

Our request to you.

To make the greatest possible impact for the children, it is paramount to increase awareness of the issue. You can help by spreading the word and inviting everyone in your network to join us by sending them this link: STUCK. Urge them to be part of the experience in Raleigh and Charlotte and in other cities during the tour. By doing so, you will help create the necessary momentum and take the first step in changing children’s lives. 

The tour culminates in Washington, D.C. on May 17. That afternoon we will lead the Step Forward for Orphans March when we will deliver the million signatures gathered on the petition to members of Congress. You can sign the petition now by clicking here. Please put this important date on your calendar. I invite you to come to D.C. in May to join us as we march together. There will be a gala that night to celebrate the new beginning the tour has created.

I hope I have inspired you to become involved and join forces with us. The kids we are working for need a team effort and your energy will make a difference. 

Thank you for your support,

Craig Juntunen
Founder, Both Ends Burning
www.bothendsburning.org
16009 N. 81st St. Suite 130
Scottsdale, AZ 85260