Birthmothers Don’t Exist: Scripting and Disrupting the “One Real” Mother in Adoption

Key Points

• The essay aims to examine the birthmother identity as a social construct shaped by power and cultural narratives.
• Analyzing discourse and narratives surrounding the birthmother identity.
• Exploring institutional practices that define and regulate birthmother representations.
• Investigating personal testimonies from mothers to challenge established boundaries.
• Uncovered how the birthmother identity is scripted through cultural and institutional narratives.
• Demonstrated that lived experiences of mothers disrupt the constructed identity of the "one real" mother.
• Highlighted the impact of language and metaphors in shaping societal perceptions of motherhood.