WASHINGTON -U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., received the Friend of Adoption Award from the National Council For Adoption (NCFA) on Tuesday, November 2. The award recognized Wicker for his longstanding advocacy for adoptions and support of adoptive families.

“I am honored to be recognized by the National Council for Adoption,” Wicker said. “I will continue working to lower barriers to adoption and help more children find loving families. Every child deserves to grow up in a stable and caring home.”

Nonprofit leaders commended Wicker for his work on behalf of the adoption community, citing his media appearances, floor speeches, and congressional correspondence surrounding the issue.

“Throughout his many years in Congress, Senator Wicker has been a consistently courageous voice in calling for accountability from policy and decision-makers to address the significant decline in intercountry adoption, which has left thousands of children around the world waiting for a family,” said Kristen Hamilton, NCFA Director of Strategic Initiatives and Communications. “Always willing to hear from concerned constituents and the larger adoption community, Senator Wicker has demonstrated strong leadership as an adoption advocate and we are honored to recognize his impact with the Friend of Adoption award this year.”

In his acceptance speech, Wicker pressed for reform in American adoption policy to facilitate more adoptions from across the world and at home. There is an urgent need for adoption in both cases. The State Department reports that intercountry adoptions have plummeted by 82 percent since 2004. Nearly 424,000 children, meanwhile, live in foster care across the country.

The senator also affirmed the duty of Americans to protect young people and find them loving homes. The senator repeated his commitment to easing red tape and the adoption process for families who want to take in a child in need.

For more information on NCFA, click here. To read Senator Wicker’s most recent op-ed championing intercountry adoption, click here.