Does Adoption Have a PR Problem?
On this episode of The Table, host Dr. Rick Morton and the full panel, Chelsea Sobolik, Emily Chapman Richards, and Herbie Newell, welcome Lauren McAfee, founder and CEO of Life Collective, PhD student in ethics and public policy, and adoptive mom of three.
Lauren shares how her passion for life and adoption began at a family birthday dinner, where an empty seat at the table prompted her and her sister to ask their parents about adopting. That prayerful nudge led to her youngest sister joining the family from China and eventually to Lauren and her husband, Michael, adopting three daughters from China, India, and the U.S. She also recounts how the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court case drew her into national pro-life leadership and inspired the founding of Life Collective.
The panel explores the power of collective impact, why unity among like-minded ministries matters, and how churches can build networks that wrap holistic support around vulnerable women, children, and families. Lauren unpacks the Imago Dei as the foundation for both human dignity and our need for community, and she challenges Protestants to think more carefully about the ethics of reproductive technologies.
With the State Department reporting intercountry adoption at an all-time low of roughly 800 in FY25, the group tackles the "PR problem" facing international adoption. Drawing on Chelsea's perspective as both an adoptee and adoptive mom, they discuss how Christians can hold grief and hope together, honor adult adoptee voices, and advocate well ahead of the 2027 Hague Special Commission on intercountry adoption.
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome and panel introductions
03:40 Lauren's story: adoption, Hobby Lobby, and Life Collective
12:40 Collective impact and unity in the pro-life movement
17:14 The church as a community that lives out the call
21:50 Bioethics, reproductive technology, and the Protestant church
28:01 Intercountry adoption hits an all-time low
34:46 International adoption's PR problem
41:23 Laying down agendas for the bigger vision
47:18 Adult adoptee voices and the 2027 Hague Special Commission
49:51 Closing thoughts
Pull up a chair, and subscribe, rate, and review The Table wherever you listen or watch.
Lauren shares how her passion for life and adoption began at a family birthday dinner, where an empty seat at the table prompted her and her sister to ask their parents about adopting. That prayerful nudge led to her youngest sister joining the family from China and eventually to Lauren and her husband, Michael, adopting three daughters from China, India, and the U.S. She also recounts how the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court case drew her into national pro-life leadership and inspired the founding of Life Collective.
The panel explores the power of collective impact, why unity among like-minded ministries matters, and how churches can build networks that wrap holistic support around vulnerable women, children, and families. Lauren unpacks the Imago Dei as the foundation for both human dignity and our need for community, and she challenges Protestants to think more carefully about the ethics of reproductive technologies.
With the State Department reporting intercountry adoption at an all-time low of roughly 800 in FY25, the group tackles the "PR problem" facing international adoption. Drawing on Chelsea's perspective as both an adoptee and adoptive mom, they discuss how Christians can hold grief and hope together, honor adult adoptee voices, and advocate well ahead of the 2027 Hague Special Commission on intercountry adoption.
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome and panel introductions
03:40 Lauren's story: adoption, Hobby Lobby, and Life Collective
12:40 Collective impact and unity in the pro-life movement
17:14 The church as a community that lives out the call
21:50 Bioethics, reproductive technology, and the Protestant church
28:01 Intercountry adoption hits an all-time low
34:46 International adoption's PR problem
41:23 Laying down agendas for the bigger vision
47:18 Adult adoptee voices and the 2027 Hague Special Commission
49:51 Closing thoughts
Pull up a chair, and subscribe, rate, and review The Table wherever you listen or watch.
Creators and Guests
Host
Herbie Newell
Herbie Newell serves as the President & Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services, holds an MBA in Accounting from Samford University and brings years of experience from his work as an independent auditor at WAKM Companies, LLC. Serving as Lifeline's Executive Director since 2003, Herbie has significantly expanded international outreach, obtained licensure in 17 states, and led the establishment of the foster care arm. A passionate advocate, he co-founded (un)adopted in 2009, focusing on equipping orphaned children with life skills for community transformation. Herbie, also the author of "Image Bearers: Shifting from Pro-birth to Pro-Life," emphasizes that being pro-life extends beyond opposing abortion, urging a broader ethic that includes fighting for racial equality and embracing every individual with the love of Christ. Herbie and his wife, Ashley, reside in Birmingham, Alabama, and are the parents to three children.
Host
Rick Morton
As Vice President of Engagement, Rick Morton shepherds the ministry’s outreach to individual, church, and organizational ministry partners as well as the ministry’s commitment to publishing resources that aid families and churches in discipling orphans and vulnerable children. Prior to Lifeline, Rick served for 15 years as a college and seminary professor, and he also served local churches in Tennessee, Louisiana, and Mississippi. He is an accomplished writer and sought after speaker. Most notably, Rick is the co-author of the popular Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-centered Adoption and Orphan Care and the author of KnowOrphans: Mobilizing the Church for Global Orphanology. Rick and his lovely wife Denise have been married for over 32 years, and they have 3 children, all of whom joined their family through international adoption. God has continued to grow their family, and he now enjoys the role of “Doc” to his precious granddaughter!