All over America, there is promotion for adoption. Pregnant women are being advised by "professionals" to "make a decision now" before their baby is even born, before a mother can have any concept of what she may be "giving up". There is little support for motherhood in America. In fact, a pregnant woman is frequently referred to as a "birthmother" instead of being called a "mother-to-be". Likewise a new mother may hear the odd phrase "Congratulations, birthmother!" instead of the more normal and friendly "Congratulations, Mom!, You have a son."
Millions of mothers in America have undergone the painful and unnatural "process" of "giving up" their sons and daughters. Some later insist they "meant to do that". Perhaps some mothers would have surrendered their parental rights, even if there had been support for their motherhood instead of adoption advertising. But many mothers were pressured or coerced. If they were underage their parents may have signed the paperwork, giving them no options.
Using the word "birthmother" instead of "mother" makes it all seem almost normal: A "birthmother" cannot expect any moral support for raising her child. A "birthmother" has a job to do - and that job is to provide her healthy newborn baby to someone else.
Some mothers find the "adoption option" so much more painful than they ever could have imagined in advance, that they commit suicide after being separated from their babies. Others manage to find ways to cope, despite the lack of public acknowledgement of their extreme loss.
Today, adoption businesses and others are promoting something they call "Birthmother's Day". We already have Mother's Day. All kinds of mothers are honored on Mother's Day - working mothers, stay-at-home mothers, step mothers, grandmothers. In some churches, even women who have had abortions are sometimes honored as the mother of their child on Mother's Day. We do not need to dishonor woman and motherhood by celebrating women as breeders or incubators on "Birthmother's Day" instead of honoring them as "mothers" on Mother's Day.
Unplanned Pregnancy - A Mother's Song provides information for mothers, fathers and grandparents who want to keep their babies. OriginsUSA is a non-profit organization supporting the rights of American single mothers.
