Click here for the March Prayer Guide www.respectlife.org/prayer-guides
In a world in which waiting lists to adopt a child are long and many pregnant women believe abortion is their only option, adoption may seem like an obvious solution. While adoption is a loving, generous way for a child to be welcomed into a family, it can also be a complex reality for those involved—including parents placing their child for adoption, couples waiting to be matched with a child, children who are waiting to be or have already been adopted, and many others.
For example, a pregnant woman in crisis often sees adoption as worse than either raising or aborting her unexpected baby, and “studies suggest that in pitting adoption against abortion, adoption will be the hands-down loser.”1 Placing a child for adoption tends to be “perceived as a kind of double death” by the mother—what she perceives as a “death” of self by carrying the baby to term and the “death” of her child through what she perceives as abandonment.2
A pregnant woman contemplating abortion generally needs to first believe that she can carry her baby to term before she is able to consider the different options of whether to raise or place her child for adoption. So, it is important for those who want to support her in choosing life to first remind her of “her own goodness and capacity for love”3 and to encourage her that she can carry her baby to term.
Helpful tips for supporting a woman who is considering adoption can be found at respectlife.org/mothers-considering-adoption.
In a world in which waiting lists to adopt a child are long and many pregnant women believe abortion is their only option, adoption may seem like an obvious solution. While adoption is a loving, generous way for a child to be welcomed into a family, it can also be a complex reality for those involved—including parents placing their child for adoption, couples waiting to be matched with a child, children who are waiting to be or have already been adopted, and many others.
For example, a pregnant woman in crisis often sees adoption as worse than either raising or aborting her unexpected baby, and “studies suggest that in pitting adoption against abortion, adoption will be the hands-down loser.”1 Placing a child for adoption tends to be “perceived as a kind of double death” by the mother—what she perceives as a “death” of self by carrying the baby to term and the “death” of her child through what she perceives as abandonment.2
A pregnant woman contemplating abortion generally needs to first believe that she can carry her baby to term before she is able to consider the different options of whether to raise or place her child for adoption. So, it is important for those who want to support her in choosing life to first remind her of “her own goodness and capacity for love”3 and to encourage her that she can carry her baby to term.
Helpful tips for supporting a woman who is considering adoption can be found at respectlife.org/mothers-considering-adoption.
Everyone in the parish community should know where to refer a pregnant woman in need. Inspired by St. John Paul II’s call to assess our efforts in building a culture of life, the intention of Walking with Moms in Need is to increase our outreach to pregnant and parenting women facing difficulties. To assist you and our parish community we share this directory. click here