I’m so grateful my birth mom chose life

The autopsy on the 2022 midterm elections is still underway, but many on the Right are asking an important question:

Why is abortion such a losing issue for Republicans?

Pro-life supporters lost five state ballot initiatives on Nov. 8, suffering defeats in California, Michigan, Virginia, Kentucky and Montana. In August, Kansas voters defeated a state constitutional amendment which would have established that abortion is illegal in the state.

Riley Batura and his birth mom, Julianna, summer 2022. (Family photo)

Conservatives have statistics, logic and science on their side. What’s the problem? They are focusing too much on the negatives of abortion and not enough on the positives of adoption.

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Saturday is National Adoption Day, an annual event designed to raise awareness of those waiting to find forever homes – and those whose lives have been spared and shaped by their new families.

Seventeen years ago, my birth mother had an important decision to make. She had the option of choosing between abortion and adoption, death or life. I am so happy that she chose life. This was not an easy decision for her.

Baby Riley with his adoptive mother, Julie, left, and birth mom, Julianna, 2006. (Family photo)

She was young, in school, and had her whole future ahead of her. She also wanted to raise me. She knew she couldn’t be both mother and father. Julianna was so moved by my story that she cried as she held me in her arms and placed me in the arms of my parents.

This heroic decision has given me the opportunity to live and pursue my dreams. Even better, I’ve had the chance to meet my biological family, and to develop relationships with many of them, including with my birth mother. Many people think that adoption is simply about giving your child away to strangers. But this is not the truth. My birth mother decided to open adopt. This means that she was involved in the decision to adopt me. She has also been in touch with me throughout my entire life. She seems to seize every opportunity to be there for me.

Riley with his adoptive father, Paul, and two adopted brothers, Will and Alex (kneeling), summer 2022.
(Family photo)

About eight months ago, I competed at a speech and debate tournament at Colorado Christian University. My birth mother was also in town during the event. Out of all the things she could do with her time she chose to watch me debate and speak.

This was just one example of her love that she has shown me over time. I am so grateful for our relationship.

Julianna’s family has also embraced me. My biological grandparents treat me and my adopted family as if they were my biological parents. They include my siblings when they give me a present, which is a huge blessing to them as well as me. I feel like I have two families. Both of them love me deeply.

Adoption might be seen by many in a negative light, but in reality, it leads to an abundance of love. Everyone in my adopted family has been impacted by the love of my biological family.

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This past summer my parents and I attended a wedding in Denver for my birth mother’s niece. Julianna introduced us to our friends at the reception by saying, “This my son, and these his parents.” Although she chose adoption, she never stopped viewing me as her son.

All of us have an obligation save innocent lives that are being taken by abortion. To do this, we must not only condemn the death of others, but also celebrate life. Julianna, my birth mother, is an excellent example of the courage and bravery required to choose adoption. We should all be proud of her and all the other women who choose life as heroes.

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