White Evangelical Christian Couple Gives Birth To Black Triplets
The couple are white, pro-life, evangelical Christians.
digitalskillet / Shutterstock No, it's not a case of mistaken insemination with the wrong sperm. It's a tad bit more controversial than that, but wouldn't that be a story to put on the Christmas cards?
However, anyone can look at this story through different colored lenses and form their own stance, but what we shouldn't ignore is the willingness of the couple involved.
They wanted to be parents and love their children, no matter the baby's skin color.
Although they got more than they bargained for with triplets.
In a 2016 Washington Post article, Aaron Halbert talks about his and his wife's decision to conceive with two Black embryos from a sperm bank. One of the embryos split, leading to the birth of triplet girls. What a happy accident.
Both are white, pro-life, evangelical Christians. Halbert was the son of Christian missionaries in Honduras, and at an early age was aware of the existence of racial diversity.
"I was the blue-eyed, cotton-topped white kid who stuck out like a sore thumb," he says.
Meanwhile, his wife Rachel grew up in Mississippi, and according to Halbert, "it wasn’t until she took a few trips to Haiti that the veil of racial prejudice was lifted from her eyes."
Prior to the birth of their triplets, the couple had adopted a Black son and a biracial daughter.
According to the article, the two were capable of conceiving on their own, but had a shared desire of adopting, even before they married. They wanted to share their love with a child who wasn't fortunate enough to get it from their own parents.
They believe that adopting is one of the ways they can be involved in their pro-life stance.
According to a 2010 report, Black baby boys are the least likely to get adopted, in comparison to white and Hispanic babies. While critics see it as a case of a "white savior complex," the Halberts see their adoption of their children as a blessing and an enriching gift.
"The beauty of a multi-ethnic family is found there, in the fact that the differences are the very thing that makes ours richer and fuller," Halbert says. "It forces you to think in a new way about the way you think, speak, act, and live."
The couple also continues to serve as missionaries in Honduras.
However you see it, we hope these children will be loved.
Caithlin Pena is an editor and former contributor for YourTango. Her work has been featured on Thought Catalog, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Psych Central, and BRIDES.