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Abby and Nathan's Dilemma
00:05:34
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| In evangelical homes across the United States, sex outside of marriage is a sin against God. | |
| So when Abby becomes pregnant at 16, her devout parents hide her away at the Liberty Godparent Home, a little-known facility for pregnant teens on the campus of Liberty University. | |
| The home says it helps girls decide what comes next, whether that's parenting their babies or placing them up for adoption. | |
| But inside the facility, the girls hear a different message. | |
| God wants their babies to go to more deserving Christian couples. | |
| From Wondery, Liberty Lost is a new podcast about a startling true story of young love, coercion, and defiance, and the dangerous resurgence of maternity homes in post-Roe America. | |
| Some girls will find the strength to fight back. | |
| Others will have no choice but to give in, and some, like Abby, will turn their grief into resistance and take a stand against the system before more mothers lose their children to adoptions they never wanted. | |
| I'm about to play a clip from Liberty Lost. | |
| Follow Liberty Lost on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. | |
| Music by Ben Thede Abby and Nathan are waiting for the signal. | |
| Any moment now, the ceremony will begin. | |
| You feel this tension, this unknown of what-ifs. | |
| Both of them are trembling, but they've made sure to look their best. | |
| 17-year-old Abby spent the morning carefully curling her long brown hair. | |
| I wanted to look good and be a good old southern girl like I was raised to be. | |
| And 19-year-old Nathan's in a crisp white button-down with freshly cropped hair. | |
| The only haircut I've ever paid for in my entire life I got before that. | |
| Through the door, they can hear the crowd growing. | |
| Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles. | |
| They're all here to see Abby and Nathan walk down the aisle. | |
| Finally, it's time. | |
| We walked out the doors, and I was just like, the grand reveal. | |
| Family and friends turn to get a better look. | |
| Abby and Nathan walk side by side. | |
| In his arms, Nathan holds their son, who was born just 11 days ago. | |
| And I'm walking down this aisle, and I remember feeling like everyone in the room wants me to be excited for this. | |
| Abby and Nathan both come from evangelical families. | |
| Their baby was born outside of God's union. | |
| And now, Abby's parents have told them it's time to correct their mistake. | |
| At the end of the aisle, a petite, blonde, southern woman in her mid-30s and her dark-haired husband are waiting for them. | |
| Or rather, they're waiting for Abby and Nathan's son. | |
| And that's because today's celebration is not a wedding. | |
| I was being punished and being told I wasn't worthy of getting to be the one who had him be his mother. | |
| And this couple waiting for them at the end of the aisle, they've been chosen to be the baby's parents, whether Abby and Nathan like it or not. | |
| And so I'm disgusted in my body every step I take forward. | |
| I'm just horrified by what's occurring. | |
| They reach the end of the aisle, and Nathan forces himself to gently place his son in the couple's arms. | |
| I remember being like, I want to burn this place down. | |
| I just watched them holding him and felt empty inside. | |
| Everyone prays. | |
| Abby and Nathan and the couple pose for photos, the newborn baby between them. | |
| There's cake, gifts, and speeches. | |
| This is so wrong. | |
| This is like so dark. | |
| It's so evil. | |
| Like, this ceremony is like a fucking joke. | |
| This ceremony, this fucking joke. | |
| It's a celebration of something that was part of American life for decades. | |
| Back in the 50s and 60s, young women who got pregnant out of wedlock were forced to leave their homes and then secretly place their babies for adoption. | |
| But the truth is, it's still happening all over America. | |
| And it's all part of a grand plan to reshape the country in God's image. | |
| Because the true Christian home that produces successful children must be headed by a godly husband. | |
| One man for one woman for one lifetime and no sex, period, outside of marriage. | |
|
Binge Ad-Free
00:00:27
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| And to make sure the nation has the right kind of mothers. | |
| They all saw how much I loved him. | |
| They didn't have to take him from me. | |
| They knew I didn't want them to. | |
| Binge all episodes of Liberty Lost Early and ad-free on Wondery Plus. | |