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 Women's
Reproductive Rights and Social Policy
Millions of women (and men) in the United States are subjected to
violations of one of their most fundamental reproductive rights for
no other reason than that they are single. This reproductive right
is the right to keep their own child.
Women's Reproductive Rights and Social Policy
Civil Liberties
and Public Policy Program Denies "Choice" to Unmarried Mothers
CLPP conference director Marlene Fried refused to allow distribution
of informational materials that would support a woman's right to be
fully informed when making a decision between keeping her child or
surrendering it for adoption.
Amherst, MA (PRWEB) April 5, 2004 -- The aims of the Civil Liberties
and Public Policy (CLPP) conference, held this weekend (April 2-4)at
Hampshire College in Amherst, MA are reproductive freedoms and social
justice. But, as one Iowa woman discovered, there is a gaping hole
in the reproductive freedoms supported by this conference. Laurie
Frisch, representing OriginsUSA, had secured an invitation to distribute
information at this conference with the assurance from the staff that
the right for a woman to keep her own child was an important right
that did need to be addressed. OriginsUSA is a national organization
which seeks to protect unmarried mothers who want to keep their children
from the slick advertising and sales pitches of the adoption industry.
Upon Ms. Frisch's arrival at the conference, conference director
Marlene Fried told her that CLPP would not allow the display of artwork
or the distribution of information from mothers whose children had
been adopted-out. She also refused to allow distribution of stories
of adoptees real life experiences, except when those experiences were
positive ones. CLPP's stand is an unfortunate result of conflicting
"rights", with the "right" to adopt winning out
over the right of a mother to keep her own child.
In today's climate, many unmarried mothers are being denied a real
choice when it comes to adoption because of the increasing pressures
and lack of information provided by adoption sevices providers, who
benefit financially when a child is adopted. The adoption industry
has found ways to thwart attempts by natural mothers and adoptees
to tell their stories and voice their concerns.
According to statistics compiled on Adoption.com, the mothers whose
children are adopted-out "often come from higher socioeconomic
backgrounds. These women come from intact families...." (Stolley,
1993). These mothers tend to be in college or college bound, responsible
women who want to do what is truly best for their child. Unfortunately
they are uninformed, misinformed and have no moral support from anyone
due to the mistaken belief that they will soon get over the loss of
their child and that their child will not know "the difference".
It could be your daughter or granddaughter who is pressured into
surrendering her parental rights when all she really needs is some
temporary assistance and moral support in order to keep her child
and prevent a life-time of suffering from an unnecessary loss that
is unacknowledged by society.
United States is not the only country that pressures unmarried women
to surrender their children. But there are countries which support
women in the right to keep their children, such as Australia and Sweden,
where mothers are counseled to keep their children to prevent the
harm that comes from separating them.
CLPP's refusal to protect the rights of mothers to keep their own
children is not so much different from the general view of our society.
What is disturbing is that CLPP's mission is specifically social justice
and reproductive freedom and yet it apparently applies only to those
who have difficulty reproducing and denies the freedoms of those that
actually do have their own children.
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The status of women in a society may be partially
determined by the percentage of women who have their babies adopted-out.
Prejudice, Single ("Unwed")
or Teen Mothers, Myths and Facts - Myths used to deny single women
(and men) the right to raise their own child.
"Birthmother's
Day" Celebrations - Celebrating "birthmotherhood"
is celebrating the oppression of single moms.
Reproductive Rights Books:
Rickie
Solinger's Beggars and Choosers and More
Reproductive Rights Movies:
The Magdalene Sisters (2003) Based on real events that took place
in Ireland from the 1960's until 1996. See also the documentary
included on the video/DVD.
Margaret
Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and more (reviewed by Ghostdancer)
Reproductive Rights Articles:
Why Infant Adoption Awareness
Training Must Be Ended - U.S. government-funded program designed
to get more babies for adoption
America's
Secret Crime Against The Family
Human
Rights Articles: Social Policy on Adoption and Foster Care and the
Effects on Society
Adoption - Is Heritage a Human
Right? - Adoptee Rights
Infant Adoption in America is
a Human Rights Issues
Why Solicitation to
Obtain Babies For Adoption Must Be Outlawed
The
Perpetrators of Adoption Crime by Joss Shawyer
Reproductive Rights?
"Only when the secrecy ends, will the crimes begin to stop as
well. Even today, countless young men and women are coerced out of
their children, left to suffer for a lifetime."
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