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Intercede
May all whose life stories include adoption experience God's presence in their journey.
Pray
Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be
Reflect
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.
Act (choose one)
- Pray the St. Joseph Adoption Novena for all whose life stories include adoption.
- Reflect more deeply on the uniqueness of each person’s adoption experience. Read the stories of a mother who placed her child for adoption and a married couple who adopted their son.
- Offer some other sacrifice or prayer that you feel called to do for this month’s intention.
One Step Further
Learn more about the complex reality of adoption in the video, Maternity is Forever: Adoption by the Sisters of Life. Discover why the decision to place a child for adoption should be the result of a personal discernment, initiated by the mother herself.