Topic: Searching for origins (perspective of birth parents)
Author
Pien Bos, Noordeloos, Netherlands (Presenting Author)
Co-author(s)
Will Sebille van, Dutch Foundation Birthmothers (DNA), Den Haag, Netherlands
Background/significance
In sending and receiving countries stakeholders are becoming increasingly aware of the harmful consequences of adoption practices. Consequences for the mothers[1] however, remain rather under-explored. Although some studies reveal severe circumstances and negative effects for these mothers (O’Rourke, 2021), their interests generally remain a blind spot. We aim to illuminate these mothers’ perspectives, their experiences, and their interests.[1] Mothers are often mentioned as first mothers, natural mothers, biological mothers, birthmothers or afstandsmoeders. We take as starting point that a mother perceives herself as mother after giving birth to a child, no matter where her child has been gone. Therefore, we use the notion ‘mother’ and focus on the moral injury that a mother experiences after losing her child.
Aim
Mothers are blamed for ascribed deviant sexual behaviors and fail to live up to standards of good motherhood. Mothers internalize such ambiguous and contradictory dominant values and norms. Subsequently they suffer from negative thoughts and feelings about their status. We present an analysis of consequences of the mothers’ supposed failure by unravelling their circumstances through the theoretical lens of ‘Moral Injury’.
Project description or research methods
Moral injury is a deep sense of shame and self-reproach, caused by an act or decision of a person who with that action or decision crossed his or her personal moral boundaries and thus violated his or her moral values (Shay 2014).
Results
Our presentation contains:An introduction on moral injury.An analysis of lived experiences of mothers in India.Will van Sebille complements the results with reflections based upon her experiences as chair of ‘The Dutch foundation for first mothers’.
Discussion and implications
Mothers in India as well as in the Netherlands lost their children through adoption in circumstances where they were at risk to develop moral injury (cf. Riben, 2017). Moral injury is considered a harmful chronical condition unless it gets addressed.
