Have You Considered Becoming a Foster Parent or Grandparent?

Strong families can strengthen their communities and nations by becoming evolved in the foster care system. In particular, people who value the dignity of human life should defend and protect the lives of children in the foster care system.

Gigi De La Torre reported on a recent Zoom webinar titled “No Child Left Behind: The Urgency of a Post-Dobbs Response to the Foster-Care Crisis” in which Kimberly Henkel and Tori Hope Petersen discussed the need for more pro-life Americans to be involved in foster care. 

“There is this what is called a lazy slander against pro-lifers that we don’t care about children after they are born,” moderator Kathryn Jean Lopez said. “But if there are children in the foster care system, there is some truth to that…. We really need to make sure that these children have homes and have a shot.”

Petersen agreed, adding: “We are often scared to say [this], because we don’t want to make anybody mad, [but] sometimes we have to say the hard thing, we have to speak the truth.”

De La Torre explained that Petersen is a former foster child who has authored a book about her experience titled Fostered: One Woman’s Powerful Story of Finding Faith and Family Through Foster Care.” Henkel is co-founder of Springs of Love, a Catholic foster and adoption support ministry. Lopez is director of the Center for Religion, Culture, and Civil Society at National Review Institute.

The main focus: How pro-lifers should and can become more involved in the foster system in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last year in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade, return the issue of abortion to the states, and end abortion on demand across America.

Petersen pointed earlier to Scripture and the multiple passages in which the Bible calls on believers to serve their brothers and sisters in Christ. Answering this call can be daunting for many, she acknowledged, especially when they see the foster care system through the lens of horror stories that occasionally surface.

Petersen encouraged Americans to begin participating in the foster care system simply by meeting foster children within their own communities and making opportunities to mentor them.

According to the article, there are “nearly 400,000 children in the foster care system.” A program called “respite foster care” can help individuals, couples, or families to “ease into the system.” This program needs people who can care “for one or more foster children for a few hours or a few days.” Even grandparents can participate in the program and become mentors for young teens. Individuals and families who cannot become foster parents can support others who are.

Individuals, couples, and families can strengthen their communities and nations by caring for some of the most vulnerable among us.