On Monday,Oprah revealed a "family secret" on her show: She has a half-sister, a child their mother placed for adoption in 1963. As Oprah herself says, she has done similar shows through the years, uniting biological families separated through adoption, but never thought it would happen to her.
She especially praises her sister for not going to the media with the information, even though she has known for several years her biological relationship to the media star. Now, the family has decided to go public with the information, before the tabloids got the first word.
In this section of the show, Oprah encourages her mother to let go of the shame she believes her mother still carries for making the decision to "give up" her daughter for adoption.
This is a pro-life issue: Those of us who value life need to spend as much time doing what we can to change the culture so that unwed pregnancy does not carry the stigma that it often does, especially among religious folks. While I respect those who choose to march in Washington to protest Roe v. Wade, there are lots of other ways to be "pro-life."
An aside: I would think someone as media-savvy as Oprah would be aware that the language "give up" for adoption is considered problematic in that it implies that the object of that verb is not of value. Women who choose adoption (like Oprah's mother) don't "give up" their children, as if they're a used Kleenex or something. The preferred terminology is "place for adoption" or "made an adoption plan." Semantics, yes. But one of those small steps toward changing the culture's attitude toward adoption.
You can watch parts of the show here.
