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“I'm adopted, and it was always my intention growing up that I was also going to adopt. After all, I'd been given a better life and I owed it to the universe that I would pay it forward. Until my early thirties, I believed that adoption was a social necessity and morally good. Whether using it as a family building tool for queer couples or folks experiencing infertility, or if you came to it as a social justice issue, who could ever say a bad word about adoption?”
This podcast presents reporting, interviews, and analysis on matters of public interest and is not intended as legal or other professional advice.
“Lynn was so disgusted with the adoption industry that she started a charity to help mothers like her keep and raise their babies.”
Lynn now uses her real name, Renee Gelin. She is the founder and president of Saving Our Sisters and a mother who relinquished her son for adoption in 2011. Her personal experience inspired her work helping other families make informed decisions about adoption and access support to stay together.
Saving Our Sisters (SOS) is a U.S. nonprofit dedicated to family preservation. Through education, mentoring, and connections to practical resources, SOS supports expectant and new parents considering adoption, helping them navigate temporary crises so they can parent their children if they wish.
Regret
In a 2016 study published by the Donaldson Adoption Institute, 20.2% of birth mothers surveyed reported mixed feelings about their decision to relinquish, and 33.6% reported feeling dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. In a separate question about regret, 28.7% said they had never regretted relinquishing their parental rights, while 46.2% reported having regretted their decision in some capacity
Madden, E., Ryan, S., Aguiniga, D., & Crawford, M. (2016). Understanding options counseling experiences in adoption: A quantitative analysis of birth parents and professionals. The Donaldson Adoption Institute. See pp. 45–46.
SUPPORT RESOURCES
Suicide and crisis support (United States and Canada) — Call or text 988 in either country, 24/7; the U.S. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and Canada's 9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline are separate national services.
National Domestic Violence Hotline — United States — The hotline offers confidential domestic-violence support, safety planning and referrals by phone, text or online chat.
ShelterSafe — Canada — ShelterSafe helps people locate shelters and provincial or territorial services for women and children experiencing abuse.
The Family Preservation Project - Where moms and resources meet. A comprehensive list of parenting resources available in the US, listed by state.
Saving our Sisters - Saving Our Sisters (SOS) supports expectant families navigating adoption decisions. We provide clear, fact-based information and practical help—so families can make fully informed choices and avoid a permanent decision driven by a temporary crisis, pressure, or misinformation.
CREDITS
On Adoption is an original documentary podcast series from Haley Radke Media Inc., created, hosted, and executive produced by Haley Radke. The series is produced by Haneul Projects & Kirya Traber. Dennis Funk of Written In Air is our supervising producer and story editor. Original Music and Sound Engineering by Alex Lewis. Research by Carl Niedzielski, MA.
Support this work
Financial support for On Adoption comes from Adoptees for Family Preservation, a registered 501(c)(3) committed to adoptee and first/birth parent centered storytelling. You can support the continued success of On Adoption and endeavors like it by donating here.
Thank you
Thank you to Adoptees for Family Preservation: President Sullivan Summer, Secretary Lora Alegria, and Treasurer Lilly Anspach. Thank you to Seraphina Kirsch, and our community of donors who helped bring On Adoption to life. You literally made this project possible. I am deeply grateful for your generosity of time, talents, and financial contributions.
Thank you to the advisory panel who helped shape this series while in the early phases on topics such as ethical storytelling, the scope of reporting, and logistical planning, among others. I couldn’t have done it without your wisdom and expertise! Lora Alegria, adoptee and communications expert; Katie Burns, birth mother and founder of The Family Preservation Project; Astrid Castro, adoptee, founder and CEO of Adoption Mosaic; Dr. Abby Hasberry, adoptee, birth mother, and therapist; Sullivan Summer, adoptee and independent scholar; and Dr. Kathleen Thompson, adoptee and therapist.
