Welcome to our new monthly Advocate profile, offering you a chance to get to know some of the folks who hold space and offer unconditional support on our national toll-free Talkline. This month we introduce Kelly, our longest running Talkline Advocate, who started volunteering back in 2007! How, … [Read more...] about Talkline Advocate profile: Kelly
Talkline Advocate profile: Kelly
Welcome to our new monthly Advocate profile, offering you a chance to get to know some of the folks who hold space and offer unconditional support on our national toll-free Talkline. This month we introduce Kelly, our longest running Talkline Advocate, who started volunteering back in 2007! How, … [Read more...] about Talkline Advocate profile: Kelly
Race, Religion, and Rescue in Adoption (Part III: Surprises and Takeaways)
This post is the third in a three-part discussion of adoption research featured at the Adoption Initiative’s conference. (Check out Part I and Part II) After the plenary sessions, the conference had some surprising moments. For example, one panelist spoke passionately from her personal experience … [Read more...] about Race, Religion, and Rescue in Adoption (Part III: Surprises and Takeaways)
What do we mean when we say “birth mother”?
What do we mean when we say “birth mother”? The answer might seem very self-evident: it means we’re talking about a woman whose child was placed for adoption. Yet, language is a very important tool, not just in conveying truths, but in constructing them – and this is part of the reason why the … [Read more...] about What do we mean when we say “birth mother”?
Race, Religion, and Rescue in Adoption (Part II: Starfish and Dragons)
This post is the second in a three-part discussion of adoption research featured at the Adoption Initiative’s conference. The second plenary speaker, Jae Ran Kim (social worker, researcher, and blogger formerly known as Harlow's Monkey), opened with the story of her adoption. Or, as she called it, … [Read more...] about Race, Religion, and Rescue in Adoption (Part II: Starfish and Dragons)
Dear Daughter
by Natasha Dear Daughter, I never gave you up. I gave you a chance at better life than what I could provide for you, as your mother. I have always loved you, even before I knew you, I savored our time together in pregnancy. And ever since, it has been a personal joy for me to spend time with … [Read more...] about Dear Daughter
Race, Religion, and Rescue in Adoption: Thoughts on the Adoption Initiative’s 7th Biennial Conference (Part I)
I recently attended the Adoption Initiative’s biennial conference, “Race, Religion, and Rescue in Adoption.” Even as a committed reproductive justice advocate, adoption is a fairly new topic to me. I fully acknowledge that I knew little about adoption beyond the broad stereotypes about who places … [Read more...] about Race, Religion, and Rescue in Adoption: Thoughts on the Adoption Initiative’s 7th Biennial Conference (Part I)
Reproductive Justice in the Time of Zombies
Some lawyers are unable to watch procedurals like Law and Order or CSI without screaming at the television. My particular vice is AMC's post-apocalyptic zombie horror series The Walking Dead, and lately it's getting harder to watch without getting annoyed at the misinformation. Yes, yes, I know it's … [Read more...] about Reproductive Justice in the Time of Zombies
The Job of Motherhood: All the Performance Reviews and None of the Benefits.
As Chris Gottlieb wrote for the NY Times Motherlode blog, even for women of privilege, mothering is a minefield of judgment—judgment which increases exponentially for women who don’t fit the Betty Draper picture of white, married, hetero, cis-gender, able-bodied, middle-class motherhood. I’ve had … [Read more...] about The Job of Motherhood: All the Performance Reviews and None of the Benefits.