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Question Title Posted By Question Date
Adoption Rebecca Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Question:

My husband and I are beginning to think about our family. While we are both completely open to children, we have discussed and both are very interested in adoption, and have decided that this is the right thing for us. We are both physically able to have children and are not opposed to having our own, but we both feel very strongly that we would like to give a loving home to a child (or children) who are already here.

How does the church view this? We are certainly open to having our own children and would welcome it if it happened, but we feel very strongly that it is important for us to give a good, loving home to the children already here (and we feel it is our duty as staunch pro-lifers that if we say adoption is the better answer, then we need to be willing to take those children). If we are both physically able to have our own children, but choose to adopt instead, how does the church view this?



Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Rebecca:

It is a great good and act of Christian compassion to adopt a child. This is a wonderful thing and God will be pleased with your decision to adopt.

Adoption, however, is not a substitute for remaining open to life in your marriage. You cannot adopt "instead" of having natural children. Rather, adoption is an "option" IN ADDITION to openness to life within the marital embrace.

If you were to purposely and deliberately not have natural children in favor of adoption it would be a grave sin.

It is a great thing to adopt, but you need to remain open to life within your own womb. Openness to life in every marital embrace must still be practiced even if you adopt.

God will give you many graces for your natural children and for the selfless compassion to adopt.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

 


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