In 1968, I become pregnant with my second child. All I had ever heard about adoption is how "wonderful" it is.  I was, also, well aware of how prejudiced society was then against young, single mothers -- though I was in a strong position to care for my two children. It was never about lack of resources or family support for me; it was completely about lack of moral support for my motherhood by society itself.

I chose adoption for my daughter, before she was born, because no one told me that it was going to be so traumatic -- only that it was "wonderful" and "selfless" for me to choose adoption. Not even my mother knew how devastating adoption was going to be for me, or she would have protected me from it by not supporting "which ever decision" I made. My mom is fiercely protective, and she would have insisted that I forget about adoption if she had known the consequences for me.

I know have a dissociative disorder due to the loss of my daughter to adoption, and my therapists have been telling me that I suffer PTSD symptoms. I've been in therapy for several years now, and I do not see an end in sight to my emotional problems due to the adoption of my daughter.

Exiled Mothers in America are taking action: OriginsUSA

Note regarding "respectful" adoption language:

The terms "unwed" mother, "birthmother", "birthmom", "birthmoms", "dear birthparent", "birthparent", "birthparents", "birthfather" "biological" make a parent appear to be less than the mother or father they are. These terms dehumanize and limit the parent's role to that of an incubator. Using the honest terms "mother", "single mother" or "natural mother" help the public to understand why real family members must not be separated to obtain babies for adoption.