The Option They Don’t Want You to Hear About with Terri Marcroft

In this powerful episode of The Heidi St. John Podcast, guest Terri Marcroft shares her personal journey of adopting a child in 1999 and how it led her to found Unplanned Good and The Third Option—nonprofits dedicated to increasing awareness of adoption as a viable, life-affirming alternative to abortion. She reveals startling statistics: out of nearly 3 million unplanned pregnancies annually in the U.S., fewer than 1% result in adoption, despite over 1 million couples waiting to adopt. Marcroft argues that the cultural conversation has been dominated by a false binary—abortion or parenting—while adoption has been marginalized, especially by pro-abortion advocacy groups that downplay its benefits. She emphasizes the transformation of modern adoption from closed to open models, where birth mothers actively choose families, maintain relationships, and receive emotional and financial support. Her own story, including a birth mother who later joined the military, married, and had another child, illustrates the long-term healing and connection possible in open adoption. Marcroft calls on older generations and the church to step in with compassion, education, and advocacy to help young women facing unplanned pregnancies see adoption not as a surrender, but as a courageous, life-giving choice. The episode ends with a hopeful vision of adoption as a spiritual and societal gift that honors both the child and the mother.