In Post-Roe America, We Must Change How We Think And Speak About Adoption And Foster Care
As the nation reacts to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we’ve seen an increase in abortion proponents citing the struggles of the foster care system as a justification for ending the lives of the unborn.
As someone whose family has been shaped and even added to by the foster system, it hurts to see abortion activists make the case that a child like my father, who was raised in foster care, or my brothers, who were adopted from foster care, should have been aborted instead of making their way through an imperfect, but a life-affirming system.
November is National Adoption Month, a good occasion to sit down with Herbie Newell, president and executive director of Lifeline Children’s Services, the largest evangelical Christian adoption agency in the country. I invited Newell to address common misconceptions about adoption, foster care, and the choice to preserve life when parenting is not in the best interests of the child and the birth parents.
Alison Centofante: What should the conversation on adoption and foster care be centered on?
Herbie Newell: We must recognize that adoption and foster care can be difficult options, but difficulty need not invalidate them as viable and healthy choices. We must recognize that life is always a good thing, even through the hard, messy, and mundane. We must change how we think about unborn life — not as an inconvenience but as an opportunity.
Women who choose adoption are some of the strongest women in the world, and they are making one of the most courageous decisions of their lives. We need to honor these women and support them holistically.
Families separated for any reason by the need for foster care also suffer. We must not victimize nor condemn these families for their brokenness but support them while protecting their children.
Our aim is and always ought to be to compel families, women, and children to understand the beauty, joy, and abundance of life. Yes, there’s sorrow and pain in life because we live in a fallen world. Women and children hurt. Mothers make difficult and life-altering decisions due to unexpected pregnancies; however, these difficult experiences are always better than death.
If we are going to be a pro-family, pro-child, pro-parent, and pro-life culture, we should ensure children and parents can stay together when possible. And when it’s not possible, we must support the formation of stable, loving, and caring families within our communities.
AC: Let’s talk about adoption. Many people have the desire to adopt one day but are concerned about the cost. Why is adoption so expensive? Some believe it costs a family upwards of $30,000 to adopt a child. Is that true? Are there ways to bring that cost down?
HN: This anxiety is common and legitimate. What those concerned about cost need to know is that there is help to be found. The average American taxpayer qualifies for roughly $15,000 in total tax incentives for adoption. When paired with grants and community support, this makes adoption
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