Author: Jordan G Estabrook
"Adoption is a picture of the gospel and how Jesus Christ adopts us into His family."
This is what our upcoming podcast guest, Christin Burris, told us about what adoption means to her and her family.
Burris sat down with us and shared an incredible story about how her daughter, AB, was adopted into her family and saved from abortion. It was one of those stories that make you reimagine what's possible.
AB's birth mother almost chose abortion, but through a Facetime from Burris a day before her abortion appointment and a trip to a crisis pregnancy center, she made the selfless journey to choose life for her child. Through private adoption, AB was adopted and loved by Burris and her husband, Chris, and two beautiful little daughters.
"My girls would always ask when their new sister was coming," said Burris.
Unfortunately, there's been a decrease in domestic adoption according to the National Council for Adoption:
"The total number of domestic adoptions decreased significantly in 2020. It was estimated that 95,306 children were adopted in the U.S. in 2020, which is about a 17% decrease from 2019. Public adoptions comprised 58% of the total domestic adoptions in 2020, and private adoptions made up 42%. A decrease in the number of adoptions was observed in all states and the District of Columbia except for one state, South Dakota. In South Dakota, the total number of domestic adoptions increased by 4% from 2019 to 2020."
NCA also shared statistics from private adoptions:
"The total number of private adoptions dropped significantly from 2019 to 2020. In 2020, the number of private adoptions was estimated to be 39,601, a 20% decrease from 2019. Among these private adoptions, half (50%) were by stepparents."
As Burris told us, her family is not unique. Many other people can adopt, but it takes hard work, prayer and community support. Burris clarified that they couldn't have done it without their church community and commitment to life.
In our podcast episode dropping Wednesday, Nov. 30, Burris goes into further detail about their story, journey in private adoption and some helpful information for those considering adoption.
"Adoption is unconditional love," said Burris. And she's right. Tune in to hear the whole story in a couple of weeks. You won't want to miss it.
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