For more information on adoption, call Catholic Charities at 554-0520 or visit www.ccomaha.org.
If dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, call Catholic Charities Pregnancy Counseling Services at (800) 403-2435 or visit www.pregnancyhelpne.org.
Adoption entails finding the right families for children By ASHLEE SCHUETTE Catholic Voice
The thought of adoption for some expectant mothers and their families is filled with unease and misconception.
The old idea of "giving up" or "giving a child away" still haunts today's society when in fact today's adoption process is nothing like that, said Sue Malloy, program supervisor for children's services at Catholic Charities in Omaha.
Expectant mothers who turn to Catholic Charities for help in the organization's pregnancy counseling and supportive services receive information to help them make the decision to raise their own child or facilitate the adoption process.
Staff members from the organization travel throughout the 23 counties in the Archdiocese of Omaha, offering help to those in need. The agency has been facilitating adoptions for more than 100 years, Malloy said.
Catholic Charities practices fully open adoption, which means the secrecy that was a part of adoption is gone, she said.
"We really see how much open adoption alleviates the pain of adoption," she said. "It removes the black hole of wondering."
Malloy said it's no longer the agency's role to decide where the baby will be placed and what adoptive parents will raise the child. The birth parents and the adoptive family now figure it out together.
"One of the neatest things from the outside looking in is actually to watch and meet some of the adoptive and birth parents and see the joy in both faces," said Teri Hautzinger, director of marketing for Catholic Charities.
There's no indication of someone making a painful decision, she said.
Couples looking to adopt a child through Catholic Charities are carefully screened, prepared and qualified to become parents. They are required by law to complete a home study, which includes background checks, financial statements, character references and personal interviews.
The main focus of the home study, however, is preparation for the life-long issues in adoption, Malloy said.
To adopt through Catholic Charities, couples must be married at least two years, be between the ages of 25 and 45, and have at least one practicing Catholic.
If a couple doesn't fit the description for Catholic Charities, the organization will help them find another agency.
Malloy said it's important for Catholic Charities to focus on being child-centered and ensuring that all children benefit from carefully planned adoptions.
"Catholic Charities is all about finding families for children, not children for families," she said. "The important thing is that kids need families."
