Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A conversation with Gretchen Sisson about adoption, reproductive justice, family values, and the families separated because we failed to support them.
Gretchen Sisson has spent years listening to women who relinquished children for adoption.
Her book, "Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood," asks a question that cuts across our usual political divisions: What if many mothers give up children not because they do not want to parent, but because we have made parenting economically impossible?
Gretchen and I talk about adoption, abortion, reproductive justice, religion, family values, poverty, and the way America decides who is considered worthy of becoming a parent.
We also get into something larger. What happens when human beings become commodities? What happens when reproductive technology advances faster than our moral thinking? And is there still some common ground between people on opposite sides of the culture wars if we begin with a simple idea: help families stay together when they want to stay together?
This is a complicated conversation because these are complicated questions. I found Gretchen’s book deeply humane and genuinely pro-family in the best sense of that phrase.
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LINKS
Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood
bookshop.org/a/99692/9781250887160
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00:00 Commodification and adoption - How money and power can undermine autonomy.
01:02 Introducing Gretchen Sisson - Frank introduces Gretchen and Relinquished.
03:06 Frank’s anti-abortion history - Frank explains his personal connection to the subject.
05:21 Genie and teenage pregnancy - Frank reflects on becoming a father at 17.
08:54 The women behind Relinquished - Gretchen’s research draws on more than 100 mothers.
11:52 Faith and motherhood - Gretchen shares her religious background and path to motherhood.
15:18 A pro-family argument - Frank and Gretchen move beyond culture war labels.
20:00 Who gets to be a parent? - Gretchen questions how society judges who is worthy of parenthood.
22:02 Families separated by adoption - Gretchen looks at why mothers relinquish children.
26:03 Justice and human dignity - Frank and Gretchen discuss the foundations of moral values.
37:06 Keeping families together - Gretchen discusses the shift from separation to family support.
48:46 Money and adoption - Frank and Gretchen examine commodification and exploitation.
55:02 The future of reproduction - They discuss fertility technology, wealth, and parental choice.
01:04:15 Rethinking fertility education - Gretchen argues for a broader approach to sex education.
01:07:43 Beyond political crisis - Gretchen asks what kind of society we actually want to build.
01:08:41 Mothers who wanted to parent - Many women relinquished children because they lacked support.
01:11:32 Finding common ground - Supporting families may offer a path beyond political divisions.
01:12:46 Frank’s thoughts on Relinquished - Frank reflects on the book’s pro-family message.
01:14:26 Gretchen’s next research - Gretchen looks toward better systems of care for vulnerable families.
_____
frankschaeffer.substack.com/p/what-if-we-helped-mothers-keep-the?utm_source=youtube
A conversation with Gretchen Sisson about adoption, reproductive justice, family values, and the families separated because we failed to support them.
Gretchen Sisson has spent years listening to women who relinquished children for adoption.
Her book, "Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood," asks a question that cuts across our usual political divisions: What if many mothers give up children not because they do not want to parent, but because we have made parenting economically impossible?
Gretchen and I talk about adoption, abortion, reproductive justice, religion, family values, poverty, and the way America decides who is considered worthy of becoming a parent.
We also get into something larger. What happens when human beings become commodities? What happens when reproductive technology advances faster than our moral thinking? And is there still some common ground between people on opposite sides of the culture wars if we begin with a simple idea: help families stay together when they want to stay together?
This is a complicated conversation because these are complicated questions. I found Gretchen’s book deeply humane and genuinely pro-family in the best sense of that phrase.
_____
LINKS
Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood
bookshop.org/a/99692/9781250887160
_____
00:00 Commodification and adoption - How money and power can undermine autonomy.
01:02 Introducing Gretchen Sisson - Frank introduces Gretchen and Relinquished.
03:06 Frank’s anti-abortion history - Frank explains his personal connection to the subject.
05:21 Genie and teenage pregnancy - Frank reflects on becoming a father at 17.
08:54 The women behind Relinquished - Gretchen’s research draws on more than 100 mothers.
11:52 Faith and motherhood - Gretchen shares her religious background and path to motherhood.
15:18 A pro-family argument - Frank and Gretchen move beyond culture war labels.
20:00 Who gets to be a parent? - Gretchen questions how society judges who is worthy of parenthood.
22:02 Families separated by adoption - Gretchen looks at why mothers relinquish children.
26:03 Justice and human dignity - Frank and Gretchen discuss the foundations of moral values.
37:06 Keeping families together - Gretchen discusses the shift from separation to family support.
48:46 Money and adoption - Frank and Gretchen examine commodification and exploitation.
55:02 The future of reproduction - They discuss fertility technology, wealth, and parental choice.
01:04:15 Rethinking fertility education - Gretchen argues for a broader approach to sex education.
01:07:43 Beyond political crisis - Gretchen asks what kind of society we actually want to build.
01:08:41 Mothers who wanted to parent - Many women relinquished children because they lacked support.
01:11:32 Finding common ground - Supporting families may offer a path beyond political divisions.
01:12:46 Frank’s thoughts on Relinquished - Frank reflects on the book’s pro-family message.
01:14:26 Gretchen’s next research - Gretchen looks toward better systems of care for vulnerable families.
_____
frankschaeffer.substack.com/p/what-if-we-helped-mothers-keep-the?utm_source=youtube
