Mothers and Moral Injury

ABSTRACT: In this essay, Bos illuminates the perspective of minor, unmarried Indian mothers who were separated from their children through the adoption system. Bos analyzes these mothers’ narratives through the lens of moral injury. Psychiatrist Jonathan Shay defines “moral injury” as a betrayal of what a person believes is the right thing to do “in a high stakes situation” (183). Moral injury results in a deep sense of shame and self-reproach. Sebille was also a minor when she lost her child in the 1960s in the Dutch adoption system. Her experiences have left her with a deep moral wound. From her perspective and lived experiences, she reflects on the circumstances and lived experiences of the minor Indian mothers. She recognizes how power differences in the adoption system and gendered cultural meanings of marriage and sexuality determine the eventual separation of these Indian mothers and their children. The authors conclude that these mothers—young girls, and children themselves—are at risk of becoming morally injured and thus deserve protection.