Liberty Lost Podcast: Unveiling Liberty Univ.’s Secret Home
Award‑winning audio journalist T.J. Raphael turns his lens inward in Liberty Lost, a six‑episode investigative podcast from Wondery, exposing practices at Liberty University’s long‑running maternity home for unwed teens: the Liberty Godparent Home.
Released June 9 2025 on Wondery+ (and across all platforms from June 23), this podcast arrives near the third anniversary of the nationwide overturning of Roe v. Wade. It digs deep into the home’s origins, operations, and its powerful place in shaping post‑Roe pro‑life strategies.
Founded in 1982 by Dr. Jerry Falwell Sr.—Liberty University’s founder—the Godparent Home offers housing and support for up to six pregnant teens under 21 per stay .
The ministry’s mission: “to save one life while changing another,” offering counseling, maternity-care classes, and adoption or parenting paths .
It evolved, adding a “Mommy & Me” wing in 2015 to support teen mothers who chose to parent. Staff report a recent uptick in young women opting to raise their babies instead of placing them for adoption .
2. Episodes at the forefront: Six stories using firsthand accounts
T.J. Raphael’s narrative structure:
Origins of secrecy – How the Godparent Home operates quietly inside Liberty University’s grounds.
Voices from within – Features four women with lived experience from 1991–2008.
Regime under scrutiny – Personal stories depict emotional pressure, surveillance, and punishment tied to moral codes and sexual activity.
Scholarship carrot, adoption stick – Scholarship incentives encouraged compliance—with adoption decisions often made under significant stress.
Post‑Roe implications – Analysis connects the home’s tactics to broader pro‑life organizing and legal trends after Roe was overturned.
Modern echoes – The home still functions—raising questions about consent, coercion, and institutional power.
3. Testimonies that shock and haunt
From the podcast:
“It felt like every belly‑rub, every baby class, was punishing me”—one former resident recalls.
“They told us the scholarships could vanish if we didn’t follow their rules”—echoing a climate of fear.
These voices offer vital insight into a secretive culture cloaked by good intentions.
4. An institution under pressure
Liberty University, meanwhile, has faced extensive controversy:
Fined $14 million in March 2024 under the federal Clery Act—due to systemic crime underreporting, including sexual assaults
Accused of mishandling sexual assault cases, facing lawsuits from 12 plaintiffs in 2021 asserting a hostile, unsafe environment .
The handling of Kathryn “Kathy,” a rape survivor linked to Liberty-affiliated counseling, prompts questions about oversight and institutional accountability .
Liberty Lost implicitly sits at the crossroads of moral mission and institutional power.
5. The moral and political implications
The maternity home aligns with a pro‑life ethos, offering an alternative to abortion.
But the podcast probes deeper: Is such support empowering—or coercive?
Post‑Roe, maternity homes like the Godparent Home play a strategic role in the reshaped reproductive landscape—blurring emotional, religious, and political boundaries.
6. Why it matters—today
Timing: Launching in June 2025, near the anniversary of the Dobbs decision that ended federal abortion protections.
Public interest: Society is grappling with how pregnancy care, forced compliance, and altruism intersect.
Freedom of choice: As legal restrictions tighten, narratives like these shed light on chilling alternatives and unintended outcomes.
Institutional accountability: The podcast joins multiple exposes scrutinizing Liberty University’s internal culture and policies.
7. What critics and defenders say
Critics question the voluntariness of adoption decisions, noting the impact of rules around sexuality and scholarship withdrawal.
Defenders say the home offers life-saving resources and life‑affirming alternatives—especially for teens lacking family support
Liberty’s official stance distinguishes its religious mission from university oversight, emphasizing its ministry roots .
But Liberty Lost forces listeners to ask: when does mission-driven care become institutional coercion?
8. Deeper connections: Liberty, Falwell legacy, and reproductive politics
The home was conceived by Jerry Falwell Sr., embedded in his moral crusade against abortion .
The current board includes individuals tied to Liberty’s church—highlighting how religious, institutional, and educational agendas converge .
Raphael deftly portrays these threads in the broader tapestry of America’s post‑Roe transformation.
9. Impact, reach, and future reporting
Liberty Lost is poised for significant media impact:
It’s the first in-depth reporting on the Godparent Home.
Anticipated conversations around reproductive autonomy, institutional moral power, and sexual agency.
Expect further coverage as public awareness increases and third-party experts weigh in.
