Christian Homes of Abilene

Beyond thankful for CHFS and the professional Christ honoring way they care for mothers, adopting families, and those in foster care.

Incredibly compassionate and knowledgeable staff. You will be treated with love and no-judgement. Couldn’t recommend them higher!

I gave up my son for adoption in 2004. I signed up for an open adoption and was told I would here from the family that adopted my child once a year with photos. I have kept them updated with a good address. After first year of not recieving my update I called and someone told me that they had no current information on adoption family. It's been about 7years since I've received any thing about my son . Every time I call they transfer me to the director which never answers and left voice mail after voice mail. I need an attorney if anyone can help.

I was a minor when I was sent here. I was from a different state and my custody was signed over to the maternity home. The doors remained locked on the main house "for my safety" but upon requesting just to sit outside on the deck for fresh air, I was not allowed outside unless escorted and watched closely. I was not allowed to look for employment nor weigh the options of keeping my child vs placing him for adoption. Everyone living there was fully aware of my intention to keep my son. I was even asked to stop talking about it as "It was upsetting the other girls" Even after clearly stating I had no desire to place my child for adoption and that I would not sign the papers; I was never allowed to leave, never allowed to seek employment and was never sent home nor sent to the maternity home of my own personal choosing.
In the end, I was given two choices - place your child with a couple whom you chose or "we will call the police and let them know we have minor without shelter or work that has an infant they are unable to care for."
It was then explained to me the laws in the State of Texas and why my parents chose this particular maternity home. If I did not sign the papers, my child and I would be separated at birth and both placed into the foster care system. My son, being only a newborn of a minor child, "without the ability to care for the newborn", would be placed in a closed adoption through the state system and I would never see him again. Charlene (the woman who ran the home at the time) even went as far to threaten me with my son's health and safety if he should go into the state system.
At signing, I was refused medication (post C-section) for more than 24 hours, until I signed the papers. Charlene even tried to discourage bounding with my son. I still have the paper work to this day that is highlighted (I highlighted it that very evening) with everything I did not agree too but were the decision made for me.
Two weeks after the paper work was signed, I was sent back to my abusive childhood home. Every employee in the maternity home was completely aware of what I was being sent back home to and even acknowledging it to myself and the other girls present in the home at the time. No postpartum support was provided to me (beyond the one week postpartum check up) nor grief counseling of any sort. I was also never allowed to have a say in my medical care or take part in any decision making during his birth.
It's been 21 years and the trauma of this whole situation has never been resolved nor 'gotten better with time'. After all this time, I honestly desire some type of Criminal Class Action Lawsuit be taken against this maternity home. As it turns out, I am not the only minor child this happened to through Christian Homes of Abilene.
While I do not speak of these things to anyone involved (to included the adoptive parents who seem blissfully unaware to this day), I have spent my adult life speaking out on forced and coerced adoptions and of my PERSONAL experience with this exact agency.

Love what this organization is about and how caring they were through the entire adoption process.