Publication Date

2017

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Study Type

Qualitative

Degree Name

Master of Social Work

Department

School for Social Work

Keywords

Adoption-Moral and ethical aspects, Birthmothers-Services for, Birthmother, Adoption, Reproductive justice, Adoption choice, Parenting, Social work, Adoption triad, Ethical adoption

Abstract

I come to this work as someone who as a potential birth mother withdrew from an open adoption plan after giving birth. During my training as a clinical social worker, I have found little literature and research which speaks to the aftermath of the adoption process on the prospective birth parent. For the purpose of this thesis, I am interested in exploring the lasting impacts on birth mothers of creating and withdrawing from an adoption plan after giving birth. I hope through this thesis I will be able explore resources available to potential birth mothers and parents who sever their relationship with an adoption agency because they decide to no longer move forward with an adoption plan. I aim to shed light on the erasure of perspective birth parents & mothers’ experiences from the adoption narrative. I intended to interview prospective birth mothers and parents, who withdrew from their adoption plans, but because of a recruitment failure, I phone-interviewed 8 private adoption agencies that support and work in voluntary adoptions, about the services they offer. Results underscored the dearth of resources available to prospective birth mothers and parents who withdraw, alongside stereotypes that only intensify the potential negative impacts that sudden termination of services and communication from the agency they were working with, and intensify feelings of isolation and abandonment. I hope the current study will assist in beginning a conversation between social workers and this often forgotten group of clients.

Language

English

Comments

iv, 71 pages. Includes bibliographical references (pages 54-56)

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