Evidence of Systemic Violation of Single Parents Rights – Part 1

What social workers said about single parents (“unwed” mothers) and the demand for babies for adoption

“Unwed” Mothers as “Breeders”….

“Because there are many more married couples wanting to adopt newborn white babies than there are babies, it may almost be said that they rather than out of wedlock babies are a social problem. (Sometimes social workers in adoption agencies have facetiously suggested setting up social provisions for more ‘babybreeding’.)” SOCIAL WORK AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS, National Association of Social Workers, (Out-of-print) copyright 1964

“… the tendency growing out of the demand for babies is to regard unmarried mothers as breeding machines…(by people intent) upon securing babies for quick adoptions.” - Leontine Young, “Is Money Our Trouble?” (paper presented at the National Conference of Social Workers, Cleveland, 1953) {quote courtesy of Karen WB}

“Unwed” Mothers as “Abnormal”

“When a worker can see that, had the unmarried mother wanted a baby for normal reasons, she would have fallen in love, married, and had a child under normal circumstances, the worker’s problem begins to resolve itself…” OUT OF WEDLOCK, Leontine Young

“. . . women having out-of wedlock children tend to be rather disturbed people. While the American middle-class girl flouting the conventions by an illegitimate pregnancy may well be emotionally sicker than her English, working-class cousins.”- Jane Rowe, adoption social worker, 1950 – 1970

“White girls who have illegitimate babies by coloured men are often emotionally ill as well as socially defiant.”- Jane Rowe, adoption social worker 1950 – 1970