One topic that I thought that we should touch on is birth mothers who were coerced. Where you coerced?

Below is a list of some common practices used in the adoption community on birth mothers that I have learned of through my many years of being involved in the adoption community. I believe that some of these tactics go back as far as the 1950’s. These tactics may have been used by clergy, social workers, nurses, nuns, doctors, attorneys, agency, or a baby broker.

Birth mothers were convinced that adoption was the only option. They tried to convince the birth mothers that you were until as a mother and had to give your baby up for adoption to people who were more fit or more deserving.

You may have been told that you were unfit as a mother because you were unwed and that keeping your baby would be selfish. You were forced to draw up a list comparing what you could give to your baby with what adopters could give. It was stressed that your baby needed a two parent family and the needs of your baby came before your own needs and that you could no fulfill your baby’s needs.

The doctor who delivered your baby may have told you that you must sign over you baby for adoption and later found out that the baby was adopted by friends of the doctor.

You may have been told that if you did not surrender your baby, the baby would be put into foster care until you did sign. You may have also been told that surrendering you baby is an expression of how much you love your baby with the message being that if you keep your baby then you don’t love your baby.

You may have been told that by placing your baby for adoption you are putting your baby’s needs first which was giving the message that the baby’s needs are before your own needs and that your baby does not need you.