Read Next
Politics
New Mexico abortion advocates plan second state-funded abortion business
Nancy Flanders
·Spotlight Articles
Human Interest·By Bridget Sielicki
'Should've been aborted': Book and film about Ryan's life prove there are no 'unwanted' children
By the world's account, Ryan Bomberger, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Radiance Foundation, should have been aborted because he was conceived in rape — a horrific statement that some people have even told him to his face. Yet Bomberger is living proof that life is a beautiful gift, and a birth mother's courageous decision to choose life can have an immense impact.
Bomberger's story is featured in his new book, "Should Have Been Aborted," as well as in a documentary of the same name set to premiere on Angel Studios this fall. It's a powerful tale about the courage of a birth mom, the power of love, and the beauty of adoption.
A new documentary premiering soon on Angel Studios shares the story of Ryan Bomberger, co-founder of The Radiance Foundation, a pro-life, faith-based educational group.
Conceived in rape, Bomberger was adopted into a large and loving family as a baby.
He and his wife, Bethany, started The Radiance Foundation to fight abortion and promote adoption.
Adoption has played a significant role in Bomberger's life, and is a central theme in his documentary.
Ryan Bomberger grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in a bustling family of 13 children — 10 of whom, including himself, were adopted.
In the documentary, he describes the love of his parents and family, noting that his parents had a heart for adopting children, looking on each one of them as loved, wanted, and special.
"Mom and Dad were meant for each other, and not only were they meant for each other, they were meant to be the parents to love the children that the world so easily discards," he recalled.
When he was 13, he learned the devastating truth that his birth father had raped his birth mother — a revelation that deeply impacted him. He was anguished over the idea that he was born of violence.
However, he explained, the traumatic situation turned into something healing and constructive. For the first time, he gave a speech about abortion, sharing his story at school. That experience eventually propelled him to the pro-life mission he is on today.
Bomberger’s documentary touches on his life through high school, college, and meeting and marrying his wife, Bethany. In 2009, he and Bethany felt called to begin The Radiance Foundation as a way to bring light and awareness to some of the most pressing issues of the day.
“We wanted to create an organization that actually equipped people to engage in these conversations, talking about abortion, talking about adoption, talking about fatherlessness, and other issues that were kind of extremely tied to that,” Bomberger explained.
The first issue they decided to tackle was abortion, and they launched a billboard campaign that dealt with the disproportionate impact of abortion on the black community. The backlash was swift, as they faced pushback, threats, and were even sued by the NAACP.
Bomberger and The Radiance Foundation didn’t back down.
“We knew that we were right. We knew that we were speaking the truth. We knew that our passion was actually saving and rescuing lives. How can we possibly back down from that?”
The documentary also follows Bomberger's search for his birth mother.
Because his was a closed adoption, he lived for years not knowing who she was or any more of his origin story. When he finally learned her name — Sharon — in 2023, he was crushed to learn that she was deceased.
In October 2025, his story took another turn as he found Sharon's sister, Carol. After hesitantly reaching out to her with a phone call, he was overcome to learn that Carol had longed to hold him as a baby, had always thought about him, and couldn't wait to meet him.
Carol told Bomberger that Sharon, raped while in military service, chose adoption because she believed her baby deserved a “clean slate” and feared she could not love him as he deserved.
"It just breaks my heart that she thought that somehow she wasn't worthy of being able to meet me," Bomberger reflected.
As Bomberger met Carol and some of his other extended family — including cousins he knew in high school without realizing they were related — he discovered that he had been deeply wanted and prayed for by a biological family he never knew he had.
Woven throughout Bomberger's story is the central theme that adoption is a beautiful gift.
He deeply respects his parents, whom he noted selflessly opened their home and their hearts to so many children in need of a family.
That love turned into a "full circle experience," when, as an adult, he adopted Bethany's daughter, Radiance, and the couple also adopted their son, Justice. "It kind of blew my mind to be the adoptee and then the adoptive father," he remarked.
In 2021, after his father's passing, he created the Henry & Andrea Bomberger Adopted in Love Fund.
"Our heart was really to help Christian families seeking to adopt. We wanted to help take away some of the incredible financial costs by awarding grants for adoption, and just honoring my parents' legacy," he explained.
At the end of the documentary, Bomberger's children shared how much adoption has meant to their family.
"Adoption is a gift that I wish everyone could experience. It's brought a lot of people into my life that I wouldn't otherwise know or get to be blessed by. Some people told my dad that he should have been aborted. Yeah, to me, I can't even imagine what my life would have been like if he was," explained his daughter, Aliyah.
Bomberger's story is a testimony that a person's worth is not defined by their conception.
A sentiment he has shared at speaking events counters the claim that those conceived in rape are unwanted: "I'm not the residue of the rapist," he says. "I'm the resilience of my mother."
Editor's Note: Visit ShouldHaveBeenAborted.com for more information.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Nancy Flanders
·
Pop Culture
Bridget Sielicki
·
Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·
Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·
Human Interest
Angeline Tan
·
Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·
Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·Pop Culture
Bridget Sielicki
·
Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·
Investigative
Bridget Sielicki
·
Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest·By Bridget Sielicki
'Should've been aborted': Book and film about Ryan's life prove there are no 'unwanted' children
By the world's account, Ryan Bomberger, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of The Radiance Foundation, should have been aborted because he was conceived in rape — a horrific statement that some people have even told him to his face. Yet Bomberger is living proof that life is a beautiful gift, and a birth mother's courageous decision to choose life can have an immense impact.
Bomberger's story is featured in his new book, "Should Have Been Aborted," as well as in a documentary of the same name set to premiere on Angel Studios this fall. It's a powerful tale about the courage of a birth mom, the power of love, and the beauty of adoption.
A new documentary premiering soon on Angel Studios shares the story of Ryan Bomberger, co-founder of The Radiance Foundation, a pro-life, faith-based educational group.
Conceived in rape, Bomberger was adopted into a large and loving family as a baby.
He and his wife, Bethany, started The Radiance Foundation to fight abortion and promote adoption.
Adoption has played a significant role in Bomberger's life, and is a central theme in his documentary.
Ryan Bomberger grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in a bustling family of 13 children — 10 of whom, including himself, were adopted.
In the documentary, he describes the love of his parents and family, noting that his parents had a heart for adopting children, looking on each one of them as loved, wanted, and special.
"Mom and Dad were meant for each other, and not only were they meant for each other, they were meant to be the parents to love the children that the world so easily discards," he recalled.
When he was 13, he learned the devastating truth that his birth father had raped his birth mother — a revelation that deeply impacted him. He was anguished over the idea that he was born of violence.
However, he explained, the traumatic situation turned into something healing and constructive. For the first time, he gave a speech about abortion, sharing his story at school. That experience eventually propelled him to the pro-life mission he is on today.
Bomberger’s documentary touches on his life through high school, college, and meeting and marrying his wife, Bethany. In 2009, he and Bethany felt called to begin The Radiance Foundation as a way to bring light and awareness to some of the most pressing issues of the day.
“We wanted to create an organization that actually equipped people to engage in these conversations, talking about abortion, talking about adoption, talking about fatherlessness, and other issues that were kind of extremely tied to that,” Bomberger explained.
The first issue they decided to tackle was abortion, and they launched a billboard campaign that dealt with the disproportionate impact of abortion on the black community. The backlash was swift, as they faced pushback, threats, and were even sued by the NAACP.
Bomberger and The Radiance Foundation didn’t back down.
“We knew that we were right. We knew that we were speaking the truth. We knew that our passion was actually saving and rescuing lives. How can we possibly back down from that?”
The documentary also follows Bomberger's search for his birth mother.
Because his was a closed adoption, he lived for years not knowing who she was or any more of his origin story. When he finally learned her name — Sharon — in 2023, he was crushed to learn that she was deceased.
In October 2025, his story took another turn as he found Sharon's sister, Carol. After hesitantly reaching out to her with a phone call, he was overcome to learn that Carol had longed to hold him as a baby, had always thought about him, and couldn't wait to meet him.
Carol told Bomberger that Sharon, raped while in military service, chose adoption because she believed her baby deserved a “clean slate” and feared she could not love him as he deserved.
"It just breaks my heart that she thought that somehow she wasn't worthy of being able to meet me," Bomberger reflected.
As Bomberger met Carol and some of his other extended family — including cousins he knew in high school without realizing they were related — he discovered that he had been deeply wanted and prayed for by a biological family he never knew he had.
Woven throughout Bomberger's story is the central theme that adoption is a beautiful gift.
He deeply respects his parents, whom he noted selflessly opened their home and their hearts to so many children in need of a family.
That love turned into a "full circle experience," when, as an adult, he adopted Bethany's daughter, Radiance, and the couple also adopted their son, Justice. "It kind of blew my mind to be the adoptee and then the adoptive father," he remarked.
In 2021, after his father's passing, he created the Henry & Andrea Bomberger Adopted in Love Fund.
"Our heart was really to help Christian families seeking to adopt. We wanted to help take away some of the incredible financial costs by awarding grants for adoption, and just honoring my parents' legacy," he explained.
At the end of the documentary, Bomberger's children shared how much adoption has meant to their family.
"Adoption is a gift that I wish everyone could experience. It's brought a lot of people into my life that I wouldn't otherwise know or get to be blessed by. Some people told my dad that he should have been aborted. Yeah, to me, I can't even imagine what my life would have been like if he was," explained his daughter, Aliyah.
Bomberger's story is a testimony that a person's worth is not defined by their conception.
A sentiment he has shared at speaking events counters the claim that those conceived in rape are unwanted: "I'm not the residue of the rapist," he says. "I'm the resilience of my mother."
Editor's Note: Visit ShouldHaveBeenAborted.com for more information.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Nancy Flanders
·Pop Culture
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest
Angeline Tan
·Human Interest
Nancy Flanders
·Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·Pop Culture
Bridget Sielicki
·Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·Investigative
Bridget Sielicki
·Politics
Bridget Sielicki
·