Putting Pro-Life Belief Into Action Through Adoption

There are millions of children in the world needed parenting and you mom and dad. They need a loving home. This is family policy with NC family Pres. John Rustin thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters. Today will be talking about one of the most tangible ways pro-life Americans can live out their beliefs and that is through supporting and participating in adoption. Our guest is Rob Schwartz, Walter, who serves as senior lecturer at Regent University on a personal note, which is of interest to today's conversation. Rob and his wife are the parents of three adopted teenage children and so were excited to have Rob Schwartz rolled her own family policy matters with us today our Rob trait have you back on the show again.

It's great to be with you John, thank you so much and for the wonderful work that you do not Rob, as we begin there really has been a good bit of of debate in recent years about how much emphasis the pro-life movement should place on adoption all talk a little bit if you would as we begin our conversation about the relationship between the pro-life goals of standing for life of ending abortion and supporting adoption John that is a great question because you hit really at an intersection of concern people on the left frequently bring out the argument that the pro-life movement doesn't do enough for women and for their children once they've been those children have been born. That is a at it. It's simply not true. The pro-life movement for decades has stood with women not just through pregnancy, but through early childhood and beyond not only through adoption, but by providing resources of all kinds, ranging from taking women into their homes to medical care to providing children supplies any pregnancy care center that a woman goes to will find not just a means of adopting a child or you know, occasional visits vilifying people who will care for them and with them throughout their lives as they need help in direct answer. We have to bear in mind that the abortion industry is predatory.

It preys on women in crisis. Oftentimes these are women who feel they have no alternative adoption presents women with a real viable alternative to aborting their children so adoption presents women with the opportunity of not only bringing to term but bringing into life in a good quality of life. The little ones that God has given them.

Second, in my view, we as a Christian community have to do a better job of publicizing adoption resources that are accessible to vulnerable women.

A lot of women especially in urban areas where many abortion centers are located have no idea how to look for an adoption agency.

We need to make that accessible to them. We need to make sure that they realize there are alternatives with respect to the goal of ending abortion on demand, though one of the things that we can do is I think I'm there any number of things but with respect to adoption. We need to demonstrate to women that we are there for them. From the moment they walk into a pregnancy care center to the mall. From the moment they walk into an adoption agency took from the moment they walk into the vestibule of the church we will walk with them through the whole journey from that moment on, and we will provide them with necessary resources with a place to stay with whatever it is they need so that they can successfully bring that baby into the world and know that he or she is going to be in a loving home now. Rob is a couple who struggled with infertility which you encourage other couples facing a similar situation to consider adoption instead of pursuing other options like fertility treatments or in vitro fertilization and if so what exit that's a really good question. It's a tough issue.

A couple's desire to have a baby together is the most natural thing in the world and giving up on that dream is very painful. My wife and I struggled with it. She miscarried at least twice and we understand how tough it is to realize that biologically you're not can have a baby and that's where many people begin considering in vitro fertilization. Bear in mind a couple things. First IVF in vitro fertilization almost always involves the destruction of several embryos in order to get one that will actually implant and then come to fruition. In other words, if you're if a woman is having five embryos implanted. Chances are good for them will die.

So essentially we are planning to allow the death of these little embryos in order that one might survive. That should be ethically very troubling to Christian people. Final thing on this is what are you talking about fertility treatment or IVF. It can be very expensive. It can easily exceed the cost of the of adoption so those are some things is the other thing is this and I and I say this not to make anyone feel guilty. It's something that we need honestly to consider. There are millions of children in the world who need parents to need a mom and a dad. They need a loving home adopting one of them and making that child your own will fill a void by not being able to be a parent biologically. My experience and the experience of adoptive friends has been universally this when you hug that child or hold that child, he or she is yours when you realize I have adopted this child just as Jesus Christ has placed me into an adoptive relationship with the father. I am his.

He is mine.

Those children are yours and you are theirs was great insights also drawing on your experience.

Rob is an adoptive parent. What are the biggest reasons that birthmothers are often hesitant to place their children for adoption, and, on the other side of the picture while or some couples hesitant to consider adopting children. It's incredibly hard for any mother to give up her newborn or to give up the child at all, you've carried that baby for nine months and then to surrender it to someone else him or her to someone else can be very painful. My wife and I had the experience of adopting a little girl baby in about three days later, her birth mother contacted the agency we had worked with and said I want the baby back and so that was very tough. It's it's a difficult thing and if two for older children. If your mom who is cared for your children and you love them and then you realize, I can't care for them anymore or something dreadful happens of it can be painful for you. II would also say this abortion for a lot of women looks like a good alternative. They are not taught accurately. What takes place at abortion. They are told their children, their unborn child will feel no pain after at least the fourth month, that's a lie. They are shown by Planned Parenthood discs often distorted and unclear ultrasound images that make the child look like a blob they're not shown high-resolution ultrasound images that clearly depict the developing baby. So for many women.

A lot of misinformation plays into it and we need to come alongside and lovingly give them good information. Rob the legal landscape for adoption agencies, and particularly faith-based agencies has really changed dramatically in recent years in America. How have these debates affected some of our country's longest-serving and most relied upon adoption agency. Yeah, it's that maybe the most troubling thing taking place in the adoption seen in the United States in the city of Boston. The city of Washington DC, and San Francisco State of Illinois. I believe now, maybe even the whole state of Massachusetts Catholic adoption agencies which are registered with the state have stopped working with the state.

They have been deregistered because they refused to provide children to single or single gay and lesbian men and women or two gay couples. The deeply held Christian conviction that cuts across Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism, the historic Christian teaching as you know John is marriage is the permanent lifelong union of one man and one woman as a covenant for God is not something that can be redefined by the state or by a court. Christian conviction presents us with putting children into a home where they are going to see model before them. The style of life that God's word says is not honoring to him that would be true of any situation really where there is a sexual pattern of behavior that is not according to Scripture.

So as a result, people in the states and cities who are people of the left and who want to compel conformity to their vision of what public life should be, are demanding that Catholic agencies and evangelical adoption agency informed and were not doing it. We refuse to go forward. My wife and I are committed evangelical believers we adopted through Bethany Christian services, but if they are ever impelled to adopt, allow children to be adopted into gay homes. I think they would quit. They would simply allow themselves to be decertified so that's you know this is a very troubling trend. Thankfully, some states are fighting back. Texas, Alabama, Michigan, North Dakota all have passed laws saying that if your faith-based adoption agency. You do not need to bend the knee to the demand that you have to allow dear the children that you're facilitating to be adopted into same-sex homes so that's out. A welcome piece of news. This needs to happen at the national level evokes Robin interesting recent analysis of American adoptions found the charitable giving to adoption agencies and adoption supporting groups are particularly Christian groups has increased quite a bit in recent years, but the number of international adoptions has actually dropped primarily because new countries are seemingly growing near hesitant to allow foreigners to adopt children. What are your takeaways from both of these trends well. First, with respect to the charitable giving that something that we can rejoice in and thank the Lord that he is moving on the hearts of loving Christian people to give toward adoption. That being said Russia, China, other countries have made it very difficult to adopt children. One of the reasons in Russia's case essentially is because, without Vladimir Putin is offended by the idea that Russian children are being taken by Westerners and adopted their Russian orphanages are nothing that you would want a child to be raised in the days are not kinds of places a child should be raised and and nurtured in and yet, prudent in the name of national pride is essentially consigning thousands of Russian children who otherwise would be adopted to these facilities and that the tragedy the most immediate thing that we can do in my view is a look for other countries where we still can adopt and be encouraged. Our State Department to make international adoption of priorities. Now Rob as we close our conversation, I want to give the opportunity to let our listeners know where they can go to get helpful information.

If I found themselves in the situation of considering adoption, either as a mother with an unplanned pregnancy. All were a couple who is seeking to bring a child into their family through adoption. You bet I would recommend a few things a few places. One is called the Christian alliance for orphans, the Christian alliance for orphans website is CA FO O.org Caso brings together 190 respected adoption agencies, domestic and international. It's a great one-stop shop. Second, the Evangelical Council for financial accountability. He CFA has a wonderful ministry service site simply called servant match.

They can go to E CFA.org\servant match one word there there nearly 40 adoption ministries listed. If you're thinking of adopting domestically that would be a great place to start, I always give a plug for Bethany Christian services, which is the agency through which my wife and I adopted our three children I've mentioned, you know, when you have mentioned on local pregnancy care centers that do so much for women if are there any women listening who are in a difficult pregnancy situation, I commend highly looking at the pregnancy care center near you and it. In addition to that, I will.

I wanted to say one of the thing given the size of your audience. John it's almost unavoidably true that some of your listeners are women who have had abortions. If any of your listeners aren't are are women who have had abortions, God loves you. He doesn't condemn you.

He wants you to find hope and healing in his son Jesus Christ. We are all sinners. All plan price that is so true Robin. I appreciate your ending on such a positive and encouraging note, there so what without Rob Morello, thank you so much for your time and for your insights on this very personal topic and for all the work that you do to shine the light and encourage folks to take advantage of the wonderful gift that is adoption. So, thanks much for being with my pleasure. You've been listening to this matter and to listen to our radio show online resources and information about issues important to families and website family.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook