The Broken Bond: Stolen Babies Stolen Motherhood Viewed Through a Trauma Perspective

The Broken Bond: Stolen Babies Stolen Motherhood Viewed Through a Trauma Perspective | Apology Alliance Australia:

When the sacred bond between mother and infant is broken it is a traumatic event that inflicts life-long physical and emotional pain (Pearce: 1992; Verrier: 1997).  In Australia during most of the 20th century there was a government sanctioned policy of forcibly removing the newborns of unsupported unwed mothers at or soon after birth.  This was not only  unethical and illegal, but violated their civil and human rights (Sherry: 1992; Harper: 1978; MacDermott: 1984). This article will discuss the past removalist policy and its effects on mothers, their now adult children and other family members, who carry the life-long psychological and emotional scars. It will also examine and discuss the underlying neuro-biological processes of birth and the affects of interfering in its completion.