“This is the best part of my day.” Judges say this at nearly every adoption finalization. After more than 1,100 cases, attorney Lonn Litchfield still feels the same way.

In this episode of Adoption Utah with host Donna Pope, Lonn shares insights from decades of adoption law, explaining why ethical adoption begins with one core principle: a genuine choice for birth mothers. From contested cases that stretch on for years to courtroom moments that restore hope, he explains what keeps experienced attorneys committed to adoption work over a lifetime.

Contested Adoptions and Legal Battles  

Most adoptions move smoothly from consent to finalization. Occasionally, a biological father, birth mother, or relative challenges the process. These contested cases can last for years and require extensive preparation. Lonn has lost limited contested cases because agencies do thorough work before placement begins. In Utah, he has never seen a birth mother successfully set aside her consent, even though the law technically allows it. The key is ensuring that consent is informed, voluntary, and properly obtained from the start.

Ethics Defined by Choice  

For Lonn, ethical adoption means a birth mother has real choice, with all options presented and respected. Dignity, liberty, listening, and support—regardless of her decision—are essential. One judge used to honor birth mothers at every finalization, recognizing the courage and love involved in placing a child for adoption. That perspective continues to guide how Lonn approaches every case.

Why Everyone Benefits From Adoption  

Just before this interview, a judge told Lonn that finalizing an adoption was the perfect way to end the day. That sentiment is echoed every time. The child gains stability; adoptive parents realize a long-held hope, and birth families find peace knowing their child is loved. Lonn’s own father was adopted in 1932, giving him a generational view of adoption’s lasting impact. In an imperfect world, adoption helps make things more whole.

An Adoption Utah story about protecting families under pressure, honoring voluntary consent, and why adoption remains deeply meaningful legal work. Listen now on you favorite platforms and share with anyone navigating adoption decisions or seeking clarity around ethical adoption.

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In this episode of Adoption Utah with host Donna Pope, Richard and Elizabeth share their seven-year journey from Richard's firm rejection of adoption to becoming passionate advocates for open relationships with birth families. Richard admits he refused to pray about his wife's spiritual prompting because he feared the answer, worrying about finances, genetic connections, and inviting strangers into their private family circle.

The Transformation

Their story takes unexpected turns through international adoption agency shutdowns, adoption.com scams, and the miraculous connection with 19-year-old birth mother Kaylee who found their deleted profile two months after they gave up. Richard and Elizabeth describe being present during labor, watching Kaylee's parents demonstrate unconditional love, and the temple sealing where Kaylee held baby Posey at the altar.

Reserved Couple Becomes Radically Open

Richard now describes adoption as the experience that made him a better person, opening his reserved heart to relationships he never imagined possible. Their relationship with Kaylee evolved from cautious meetings to genuine friendship, with Kaylee now walking into their home unannounced and attending family gatherings alongside Richard and Elizabeth's three biological sons.

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In this episode of Adoption Utah with host Donna Pope, adoptee and writer Dr. Liz DeBetta unpacks adoption through the lens of creative healing, sharing her lived experience from growing up in a closed adoption feeling emotionally overwhelmed and alone. She recounts starting to write secret poems at 14 to process unnamed grief, receiving her original birth certificate on her 40th birthday, and the reunion with her first mother who said, "I've been waiting for this day for 40 years."

Making Space to Heal

The conversation stays grounded in the internal experience of being adopted, including the challenge adoptive parents face with resistance to curiosity and the need to hold space for the "both/and" rather than either/or thinking. Liz explains how adoption asks families to act "as if" while creating disconnection, and argues that adoptive parents must work against resistance to make room for both families to coexist. She discusses taking two years to tell her adoptive parents about the reunion and the estrangement from her adopted brother, who views her search as betrayal.

Creative Tools for Connection

Drawing on her award-winning solo show 'Unmothered' and her Migrating Toward Wholeness process, Liz explains using writing and performance as tools for processing embodied trauma through five core principles: making space to heal, rewriting the truth, expressing the primal wound, becoming the subject, and breaking silences. She addresses how going back to teenage poetry revealed unacknowledged loss and grief, and offers guidance for adoptees seeking community, birth parents navigating impossible choices, and adoptive families learning to stay curious.

A guide to creative healing in adoption that honors complexity, validates internal experience, and offers pathways to connection. Listen now and share with someone seeking tools for processing adoption trauma.

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In this episode of Adoption Utah with host Donna Pope, adoptee and licensed therapist Troy Love unpacks the complexity of adoption through his framework of six attachment wounds, sharing lived experience from being adopted at five days old into a family struggling with domestic violence. He recounts managing the duality of loving adoptive parents who caused harm, searching for his birth mother at 37, and the Valentine's Day reunion that brought immediate connection and answered lifelong questions.

Wounds That Shape Identity

The conversation explores the six attachment wounds Troy identified in his therapeutic practice: loss, neglect, abandonment, betrayal, rejection, and abuse. Troy explains how adoptees carry wounds of abandonment even when birth parents made loving decisions, and how adoptive parents need to understand their children's struggles may stem from pre-placement trauma rather than parenting failures. He shares his own journey from self-hatred to self-love and the incremental process of learning to let others' love in.

Therapeutic Models for Healing

Drawing on years of therapy and his work helping others, Troy discusses practical approaches for each member of the adoption constellation. He addresses what adoptees need to hear about their worth, what birth parents deserve to know about their sacrificial decisions, and what adoptive parents should understand about supporting their children's curiosity without feeling threatened. His Finding Peace Workbook emerged from clients asking where they could learn more about healing attachment wounds.

In this episode of Adoption Utah with host Donna Pope, birth mother and advocate Lynea Krukiewicz unpacks Utah adoption through the lens of rights, privacy, and permanency described in the state's legislative intent, sharing lived experience behind what those promises look like in practice. She recounts a semi open adoption that narrowed over time, the strain of routing contact through attorneys, and the emotional reality of reunion while processing grief during another pregnancy.

Action Steps

The conversation stays grounded in Utah policy questions, including a mother's capacity to know her own mind while vulnerable and the best interest of the child as understood by the mother closest to the situation. Lynea argues women should be free to consider adoptive families beyond state lines rather than being landlocked by residence when seeking the right placement. She responds to coercion claims by insisting decisions belong to the mother and noting choices improve when basic needs and medical care are supported during the process.

Honoring Mothers

Drawing on work with the Utah Adoption Council, Lynea explains helping refine statutory wording and pushing for post placement care that asks birth mothers what was missing and fixes it in policy and practice. She highlights Utah-rooted support like Life After Placement and the Birth Mom Dinner that honor women with community, music, and a three course meal.

A Utah focused guide to adoption that elevates rights, choice, and respectful practice. Listen now and share with someone navigating adoption in Utah.

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In this second episode, Nathan Gwilliam continues interviewing Donna Pope, host of Adoption Utah, exploring what sets Utah apart as America's adoption destination.

What Makes Utah Unique

Discover the surprising statistics that make Utah families different - 3.1 people per household versus the national 2.6 average to 76% religious affiliation rates and number one economic outlook rankings for 18 consecutive years. These demographic advantages create ideal environments for adoption placement that birth mothers and adoptive families recognize immediately.

Faith and Safe Harbor

Donna shares Utah's transformation over 27 years toward adoption openness, including the moving story of an 80-year-old woman who still yearned to know her birth parents. Learn about the biggest controversies in Utah adoption, particularly the complex balance between birth mother and birth father rights when they disagree on adoption plans.

The discussion reveals Utah's vision as a "safe harbor" where birth mothers receive genuine support while adoptive families gain confidence in the process, supported by a faith-based community that provides practical assistance beyond religious affiliation.

Listen now, to understand the cultural and demographic forces that make Utah adoption extraordinary.

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In this pilot episode of Adoption Utah, discover the incredible journey of Donna Pope, Executive Director of Heart to Heart Adoptions and your host for Adoption Utah.

Donna's Journey

With 27 years of experience in Utah's adoption landscape, Donna shares her transition from medical research at LDS Hospital and the University of Utah to founding an adoption agency focused on treating birth mothers with genuine care and respect. Her unique approach has supported countless birth mothers while earning deep appreciation from adoptive families who witness the love shown to their children's birth mothers.

Personal Stories

Donna opens up about her three adopted sons, including moving stories of birth mothers like Monica, who came from California's streets, and Malou, who traveled from Austria. These personal experiences, combined with her leadership roles in Utah's adoption community, position her uniquely to address misconceptions about Utah adoption laws and practices.

Discover why Utah's adoption community deserves recognition for its balanced approach to protecting all members of the adoption process.

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Adoption Utah cuts through the confusion surrounding Utah's adoption system with real stories and expert guidance. Host Donna Pope, Executive Director of Heart To Heart Adoptions, brings 25+ years of experience to every episode exploring what makes Utah America's premier adoption destination. Each episode reveals the cultural and demographic forces that set Utah apart through unique family structures and faith-based community support. Discover the statistics, stories, and surprising factors that create Utah's reputation as a "safe harbor" for adoption. Birth parents learn about their options while adoptive families navigate the process with confidence. This podcast provides insider perspectives that transform assumptions into understanding for anyone considering adoption, currently in the process, or supporting someone through this journey. Join the conversation that's changing how people think about adoption.