Finally--finally after years of seeing this book referenced I own a copy. And it was worth the search. Shawyer's honest and compassionate look at adoption through the eyes of an astute, woman-friendly observer, is a stunner. Social workers and doctors made a mistake when they targeted Shawyer and her twin babies for adoption fodder. She was not frightened by these "adoption police" who have destroyed millions and millions of perfectly good real families in the last fifty years. Shawyer resisted their date-rape style abuse. She describes vividly how the mother targeted for adoption keeps saying "no" to the suggestion of adoption for her child yet the social workers and doctors who have singled her out as fair game keep saying "yes." Ultimately, they simply whisk away the newborn for baby-crazed infertiles and tell the mother who complains that it is her fault that she didn't stop them. When this trickery was tried on Shawyer, she found the shaming and cult-like brainwashing tactics ludicrous, was able to fight off the attacks, and walked out of the hospital with her babies as God intended. Ever since, she has stood up for mothers and their precious babies. She documents well the terrible suffering of adoption's victims, the unresolvable grief and post-truamatic stress disorder--ruined lives. After writing Death by Adoption, Shawyer was instrumental in the dismantling of the mean and shameful practice in New Zealand. I was shocked to look in the front of Death By Adoption and see it was written 25 years ago. One suspects that Shawyer must be dismayed that after all these years with the horrors of adoption well-documented, it seems to be business as usual in the US for these appalling human rights violations.
Death by Adoption
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
Though the author is not from the U.S., this book speaks to birthmothers in many parts of the world, especially those in the U.S. This book was written when there was almost nothing available to tell the birthmothers' side of adoption! I was able to get it through interlibrary loan. Shawyer's words helped me greatly when I began the Search for my son Paul. The author was one of the pioneers in exposing the pain of adoption. I give Shawyer five stars for courage. The book is not a skimpy one, says a lot, and deserves five stars!
Incredibly Insightful
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
This book gives one of the most realistic perspective on adoption from a mothers perpspective that I've ever read. The only people who seem to benefit from adoption are the people who adopt, they lose nothing and no one. Death by Adoption has been saying truthful about the Emporer's new clothes for a long time. One of the few books to show adoption from the point of view of those who lose their family to adoption. A must read!!!!
The real truth about adoption - it isn't good for anybody.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 28 years ago
Death by Adoption is the definitive feminist book about the crimes that have been committed against women and children in the name of "the best interests of the child." Ms. Shawyer speaks about the secret that no one will share - that separating mothers and children is not in the best interests of either. A must read for anybody tired of the lies inherent in adoption practice today.
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