The Gist TJ Raphael on the Liberty Godparent Trap and the Cost of Coercion
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Dec 4, 2025 
TJ Raphael, an investigative reporter known for her deep dives into adoption and social issues, sheds light on the controversial Liberty Godparent Home connected to Liberty University. She reveals how shame and isolation tactics pressured pregnant teens into coerced adoptions. The discussion navigates through financial motives behind adoption placements, the collapse of open adoption promises, and the complexities birth mothers face. Raphael also critiques policies that incentivize adoption, highlighting the urgent need for reform and awareness.
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Maternity Home Tied Directly To Adoption Agency
- Liberty University ran a Liberty Godparent Home housing pregnant girls aged roughly 12–21 connected to an adoption agency next door.
- The Liberty Godparent Foundation and Liberty University shared boards and finances, blurring separation between care and adoption services.
Shame Used As A Recruitment Tool
- Staff used purity-culture guilt and shame to pressure residents toward adoption as moral redemption.
- Former staff described guilt and shame as deliberate "tools of the trade."
Threats Against Fathers To Silence Intervention
- Parents sometimes threatened young fathers with statutory rape charges to prevent intervention in adoptions.
- Those threats could be bluffs or legally baseless, but they successfully intimidated partners like Nathan.
