Hi! I thought that users might be interested in why member of Origins Canada chose to have the language guidelines we use here. As part of supporting our membership, we respect the fact that most mothers who surrendered children to adoption did not do so because those children were unloved and unwanted, but because these mothers were given no other choice. They loved, and still love, those children as strongly as any mother does, with a bond that comes from nine months of sharing the same body. It has been described as being a spiritual connection, and this bond can survive decades of separation.
We thus respect these mothers as still being mothers, and request that members refrain from using the artificially-created term "natural mother," which was invented 35 years ago by the adoption industry to indicate that these mothers are no longer mothers. To strip them of their motherhood. But we who are mothers in exile from our children, experience the loss of our child and the strength of our love for them. If we had not loved our babies or wanted to keep them, we would not be struggling with the grief and loss resulting from it.
If you have any questions, please post them and lets' discuss. Meanwhile, a few articles from mothers about this subject will be added to the board, for members to read who may not be familiar with this point of view that many natural mothers are now taking on language: standing up and saying "Yes, I am still a mother."
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Topic: About the language guidelines we chose. (Read 1365 times)