Sarah and Meghan discuss the ethics of adoption, surrogacy, and reproductive technology. They explore the dark history of the Baby Scoop era and the traumatic experiences of unwed mothers. The discussion touches on the portrayal in popular culture and the lasting impact on birth mothers. They also reflect on their own experiences in foster care and primal motherhood instincts.
During the Baby Scoop Era, unwed mothers were pressured and coerced into giving up their babies for adoption, leading to long-lasting trauma and pain for the majority of these women.
Mothers who gave birth during the Baby Scoop Era often experienced a primal attachment to their newborns and suffered heartbreaking coercion from various parties to give up their babies, further exacerbating their pain and trauma.
Deep dives
The Baby Scoop Era and Coerced Adoptions
The podcast episode explores the Baby Scoop Era, which occurred from 1945 to 1973. During this time, unwed mothers were strongly encouraged, and often coerced, to give up their babies for adoption. Adoption became more normalized, but many women who surrendered their babies felt that their children were taken from them rather than given up willingly. Historians and researchers found that the majority of these women were haunted by the decision and suffered the trauma of separation. They had no one to talk to about it and were expected to pretend it never happened, further exacerbating their pain.
Lack of Options and Coercion in Maternity Homes
During the Baby Scoop Era, unwed mothers had limited options and were often pressured into giving up their babies. If a woman became pregnant out of wedlock, it was socially unacceptable, and her family would disown her if she chose to keep the child. Maternity homes, run by people who believed they were doing the right thing, did little to support the emotional and physical well-being of these women. Many of the mothers were not adequately informed of their legal rights and were manipulated into believing they had already given up their babies. Some mothers were even falsely told that their babies had died.
The Primal Attachment and Heartbreak of Mothers
Mothers who gave birth during the Baby Scoop Era often experienced a primal attachment to their newborns. They fell in love instantly and did not want to let go, despite the societal pressures and consequences they faced. Many described the heartbreak of being coerced by caseworkers, doctors, nurses, and even their own parents into giving up their babies. Some were denied the chance to see or hold their infants, further deepening their pain. The stories of these women highlight the traumatic and lasting impact of forced adoptions during that time.
In this episode Sarah and Meghan consider the ethics of adoption, surrogacy and the future of reproductive technology. They discuss the “Baby Scoop” era, which lasted from just after World War II into the early 1970s, in which millions of unwed mother surrendered their babies to adoption agencies, many of which were profiting from the transaction.
They discover that Meghan, who was born the year of the highest number of adoptions, has always knows tons of adoptees and never thought much of it. Sarah, on the other hand, knew very few adoptees. Sarah also reflects on her own primal motherhood instinct and Meghan talks about her volunteer work in the foster care system.
RELEVANT LINKS
Meghan worked in the foster care system for a while, and she wrote this essay about it in The New Yorker.