“With the family that I chose, they’re gonna be able to give her everything she wants and I know I’m not gonna be able to do that.” -Amber Fiedler
Nancy Flanders : Mar 17, 2020 LiveAction.org
[LiveAction.org] The latest season of American Idol is underway with auditions airing in five different episodes. This week, America got to meet 23-year-old Amber Fiedler from Idaho, who happened to be 38 weeks pregnant during her audition. She shocked the judges when she told them she would be placing her baby girl with an adoptive family. (Image: via LiveAction.org)
Asked by judge Lionel Ritchie—who is an adoptive father—why she came to the decision of adoption, Fiedler revealed that she grew up in a difficult circumstance, raised mostly by her grandmother, because her mother was addicted to drugs.
“The last few years, I was going out and, ya know, drinking a bit and I was getting caught up in life,” she explained. “With this pregnancy, I’ve learned who I was as a person. I’ve had time to sit and think and look at the big picture of life. There’s days when I don’t even have $20 in my pocket. If I’m not ready to be a mom, why would I put her through that, ya know?”
While abortion advocates claim that abortion is necessary for addicts who become pregnant, Fiedler’s mother chose to give birth to her daughter, and Fiedler is proof that babies born to addicts can be successful despite any struggles they may face.
Fiedler explained that her baby’s adoption will be open, and she and her daughter will be able to know each other. As with most mothers who choose adoption, Fiedler was able to select the family she wanted to raise her baby. Babies placed for adoption at birth by their birth mothers do not go into the foster care system; they go directly to the parents who are adopting them and have been handpicked by their birth mothers. There are 36 couples waiting for every one newborn placed for adoption.
“With the family that I chose, they’re gonna be able to give her everything she wants and I know I’m not gonna be able to do that,” she said through tears. She said she hopes her daughter will understand that she made the choice she believed was best for her.
“Having the time to really think and reflect on my life, the baby, she saved me. She really did. And so, thanks,” she said looking down and rubbing her belly.
Ritchie commended her, calling her “very strong.”
READ: Family shares life-changing adoption story, proving ‘families don’t have to match’
After Fiedler sang for the judges—Ritchie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan—they all voted to put her through to the next round. Bryan laughed, saying she did remarkably well “with a foot in her rib.” He added that there are a lot of young women facing similar circumstances who are watching the show. Bryan and his wife are also parents to his nieces and nephew whom they adopted after the children lost both of their parents.
Click here and scroll to watch the video of Amber’s audition.
After receiving the golden ticket, Fiedler celebrated with her loved ones. “I fulfilled my dream today by getting the golden ticket,” she said. “My dream for the baby is that she lives a beautiful and happy life with the life I’ve chosen for her and I know she’s gonna.”
Fiedler chose life for her baby and she displayed the beauty and joy that come with that difficult decision. Being pregnant didn’t hold her back from going after her dreams, and now her baby will be able to grow up and live out her dreams just like her mom.