Herbie Newell, president and executive director of Lifeline Children's Services and its ministry arms including (un)adopted, Crossings, Families Count and Lifeline Village, reports that an estimated three million couples are ready to adopt at any moment.
"When you start to explore … the number of families that would be ready, willing, and able if they knew that there was a child in need, I think it's astronomical the number of children and families that we would be able to find," he says.
Now that Roe vs. Wade has been overturned, some states are banning abortion, and others are placing strict limits on the practice. Newell says many women have been led to believe abortion is the only option, but they would be surprised to learn how many couples are ready to adopt.
"It's not a problem that there aren't enough families," he asserts. "It's been that as a culture and as a society, we have been sacrificing life at the altar of convenience, and therefore, we haven't had to look for families for domestic adoptions. And now, I think it's time for those families to rise up and say, 'We're here; we're ready.'"
If pregnant women are looking for options, Newell asserts the pro-life movement offers many. Lifeline, for instance, provides adoption services in all 50 states and U.S. territories and for U.S. citizens living overseas.
