And you're...Catholic...aren't you?

This is going back in time almost a year now.

Per and I sitting on one couch in our living room, holding hands, the sun shining in through the window warming our backs. Our social worker sitting across from us, paper and pen in hand, reviewing the many pages she had written during the interview. Fresh fruit and flowers on the table between us. Expectancy hovering in the air. We are done. She looks up at us, smiling and tells us that in her opinion we are excellent canidates for adoptive parents. We seem to be able to provide what is needed and raise the child in a loving and safe environment and that she will portray us in the best possible light when she writes her report on us. Per and I smile in relief at one another.

And then she glances back down at her notes, frowns as if wanting to clarify something and asks me "But you're Catholic, aren't you?" To which I reply yes. She asks then, because I think that Catholicism is not so easily understood by many who aren't Catholic or have been raised perhaps to see it as something one must be suspicious of, "Doesn't that mean you're very strict?" I ask her what she means and she replies "Well, strict with things like birth control and abortion..." With that she picks up her pen again to write down my answer and my heart sinks. Sinks because I know that depending on her personal beliefs, she could change her opinion of us as potential adoptive parents in a heartbeat if she so desires. Sinks because I know that regardless of the consequences, I have to be honest. Even if it means losing the chance at an excellent social report and perhaps, consequently, our approval.

So I think carefully and reply that yes, I do believe abortion is wrong and the reason for this is because I believe all life is sacred, including the unborn. It stands to reason logically that if someone is alive and another person takes that life away, it is very wrong because life is valuable and precious and each unborn child has the right to life, to grow, to learn and play and make mistakes and become what they were created to become. When I say I am against abortion, I hope I say it with love, gentleness and compassion not anger or hatred or frothing at the mouth. I am in no position to judge but I have an obligation to be honest about what it is that I believe.

In any case, the social worker seemed to understand because when she wrote the report she wrote it in such a way that said simply "Colleen believes all life is sacred." But I must admit, I had some moments of uncertainty because the topic is such a controversial one that I feared she might change her mind or portray us differently because of that. (Of course, as you know, we were approved so my fears were groundless.)

I'm not sure why I thought of this now, maybe just so that nobody mistakenly assumes that the interviews we went through were all fun and games. ;)