Blog Post 1: Option 3

Blogpost 1, Option 3: compare/contrast Pertman and Solinger’s depictions of the “babyscoop era” and of birthmothers. Does the addition of Pertman’s voice to the narrative told by Solinger, add anything to our understanding of this era (and/or vice versa)?

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I started out this class having what I thought was a pretty decent grasp on what adoption was all about. I come from a religious family and I had figured some of the history of adoption in this country as I'd heard of girls being sent away for a summer or 'to live with an aunt' who were really staying in homes for unwed mothers. I've also had a few friends that were adopted and known their parents. I've never actually met anyone that has given their child up for adoption though and this is where any knowledge I thought I had was severely lacking. The two articles Rickie Solinger's “Claiming Rights in the Era of Choice, Part 1: Awakenings” and Adam Pertman's "Adoption Nation" portray the "babyscoop era" in different ways. 

In Solinger's article she tells poignant stories of birth mothers who were coerced in various ways into giving their child up. She delivers the stories and then addresses the issues in a very informative manner. Proving that the stories themselves are enough to tug at anyone's emotions and that there doesn't need to be much more to show that what was going on at this time was wrong. Her message is this, simply stated, “Here I argue that adoption is rarely about mothers’ choices; it is, instead, about the abject choicelessness of some resourceless women” (p. 67). She does a good job of both informing the reader of what happened during this time in adoption's history and arguing her main point, that what was happening to birth mothers was a product of their lack of choice during a vulnerable time in their lives.

We already discussed in class that Pertman has an optimistic outlook on the topic of adoption. In his book I felt that he glossed over the difficulty of the time period, especially having read Solinger's article first. He included Linda's story about getting her son back which is interesting and also emotional but didn't hit me quite the same as the stories Solinger told. What I did appreciate however, was his continuation of the history. A sort of, 'where are they now?' section where he relates how he sees things that have changed. He addresses the homes that birth mothers are placed in, "Homes for expectant mothers still exist, though in much smaller numbers. They are provided by a few adoption agencies as housing for unmarried women trying to decide wether or not to parent their babies" (136). He also shows what is still going on, "Some fundamentalist Christian sects focus on pregnant teenagers whom they attract to special homes with promise that they'll receive room, board, and non-judgemental support" (136-137). Implying that these groups continue to brainwash and push young women into giving their child up for adoption.

Both articles provide quality information. Knowing where both authors are coming from makes a big difference in how one might view their writing. Pertman doesn't include all of the harsh truths that go along with the "baby scoop" era, while Solinger's may not have the most positive outlook. Both are trying to inform the reader of a time when women weren't really choosing for themselves and the stigmas that go along with everyone in the adoption triangle. Both acknowledge that most people have little to no information on the history or current status of birth mothers in America, what they went through and how it's still affecting them. I think it's important to have respect, an understanding, and sympathy for everyone that was involved in the triangle and to promote more positive outlooks on all aspects of adoption in the future.