It’s estimated that nearly half of all pregnancies are unplanned. If the expectant girl or woman is not in a position to give the child the kind of life she wants for him or her, she needs to know that choosing adoption might be a path forward for her. She would have many choices about who the adoptive family would be and what level of communication and relationship she would have with them and her child.
“I love the word ‘entrusted’ because it reflects the deliberate, responsible act of placing a child into the care of another,” explained Karen LaBarr, a former Executive Committee member at Georgia Right to Life (GRTL).
Reflecting on November being National Adoption Month, LaBarr noted how special it has been that she and her husband, Jim, have had the privilege of adopting two children.
“Being infertile, I’ve had the joy of parenthood only because of the sacrificial love of two amazing young women who entrusted their babies to us,” she said.
“Both children, Christy and David, were adopted at birth with the help of Christian adoption agencies. Their birthmothers chose adoption in order to provide their babies with a secure, stable, two-parent home to grow up in,” LaBarr added.
Another powerful adoption story involves baseball’s new home run king. Last month, Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run, breaking the previous record of 61 home runs set by Roger Maris in 1961.
Standing 6’7” and weighing 282 pounds, Judge is an imposing figure. Little published is the fact that he stands even taller as one of baseball’s good guys who prioritizes his Christian faith and credits his adoptive parents for his success.
The biological son of a biracial couple, his white parents adopted him two days after he was born. He credits his adoptive parents with instilling in him the intangibles necessary for a major league baseball career.
“My parents are amazing; they’ve taught me so many lessons. I honestly can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for me.” He even credits his mother for his baseball career. He has said “I wouldn’t be a New York Yankee” if it wasn’t for his mother.
Commenting on Judge, Paul Batura, Vice President of Communication for Focus on the Family, offered praise for his biological mother choosing life rather than abortion. “Birthmothers cannot, and must not, feel like second-class citizens, but rather they should be loved and respected women whose sacrificial decisions will help shape the next generation and beyond.”
Concerning adoption in general, about 1.5 million children are adopted in the U.S. annually, meaning that one out of every 25 families with children have an adopted child.
National Adoption Month began as National Adoption Week in 1990 and was later expanded to a month. During that time, states, communities, and both public and private organizations celebrate adoption as a positive way to build families.
Unplanned pregnancies can be a blessing if birthmothers who don’t want their precious gift from God are encouraged to consider adoption.
Please share this article with any family you know dealing with an unplanned pregnancy and is conflicted about what to do.
Sources: cbn.com; adoptionnetwork.com; dailycitizen.focusonthefamily.com; 2Date4Love.com; adoption.com.
By Wayne DuBois
Georgia Right to Life
Media Relations Advisor