Adoption Experience Conference 2012

Keynote Speaker Mari Steed " Justice for Magdalenes - Magdalene Asylums were institutions ostensibly for "fallen women", a term used to imply sexual promiscuity. Asylums for these girls and women (and others believed to be of poor moral character, such as prostitutes) operated throughout Europe, Britain, Ireland, Canada and the United States for much of the 19th and well into the 20th century. " By the early 20th century these facilities became increasingly punitive and p...rison-like. They also endured a daily regime that included long periods of prayer and enforced silence. In Ireland they became known as Magdalene Laundries. It has been estimated that up to 30,000 women passed through such laundries in Ireland. The last Magdalene Laundry to close on September 25, 1996 was the Sean McDermott Street laundry in Dublin Ireland. " Mari will guide us through the Magdalene Laundries of Ireland and the continuing journey of justice for those women and their families. " http://www.adoptionexperience2012.ca/mari-bio.php

Keynote Speaker: Raven Sinclair "Sixties Scoop Redux: The 60s Scoop refers to the era of Aboriginal child welfare in Canada where children were apprehended and placed into care in large numbers between 1960 and 19895. In some instances children were literally scooped from their communities without the consent of knowledge of bands and families. In most cases, the children were placed into non-aboriginal foster and adoptive homes. It is known that over 11,000 children w...ere transracially adopted and estimated that up to 50,000 children were placed during the Scoop. It has been observed that the Sixties Scoop has merely evolved into the Millennium Scoop because 50-80% of all the children in care are Aboriginal. This talk will address some of the key issues of the Scoop, highlighting some of the important figures in Aboriginal child welfare, and synthesize suggestions for where we go from here to redress the problem of Aboriginal children in care." http://www.adoptionexperience2012.ca/raven-sinclair.php

Keynote Speaker Rickie Solinger "Beggars and Choosers: How the Politics of Choice Shapes Adoption, Abortion, and Welfare in the United States" http://www.amazon.ca/Beggars-Choosers-Politics//0809097028

Keynote Speaker Rickie Solinger "Rickie Solinger is a historian and curator. She is the award winning author of Wake Up Little Susie: Single Pregnancy and Race before Roe v. Wade, Beggars and Choosers: How the Politics of Choice Shapes Adoption, Abortion, and Welfare in the U.S., and other books and articles about reproductive politics and welfare politics. Solinger curates art exhibitions associated with the themes of her books; the shows travel to college and university galleries around the country, aiming to interrupt the curriculum. Her latest book is Pregnancy and Power: A Short History of Reproductive Politics in America. " "Wake Up Little Susie: Single Pregnancy and Race Before Roe v Wade" http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Up-Little-Susie-Pre//041590448X

Ann Fessler, "A Girl Like Her" official website: http://agirllikeher.com/

Keynote speaker: Ann Fessler "Fessler's latest film A Girl Like Her (2012), combines footage from educational films and newsreels from the 1950s and 60s about dating, sex, "illegitimate" pregnancy, and adoption - that both reflected and shaped the public's understanding of single pregnancy during that time - with the voices of these mothers as they speak today, with hindsight, about the long-term impact of surrender and silence on their lives." https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Girl-Like-Her/271835029512372

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