I was 22 in 1964 and going through a divorce when I became pregnant with another man's child. He abandoned me when he found out about the pregnancy. I had severe morning sickness for 6 months of my pregnancy and was bedridden so I did not have a choice when my mother told me that I had to give up my child for adoption. She told me that they would kick me out in the street if I did not comply. My brother who was over 10 years older and married had coerced my parents into that decision by saying it would be an "embarassment" to him. So without any counseling during, before or after the birth I was sent to Mapleknoll Home for Unwed Mothers in my 7th month. It was like a prison because you were not allowed to leave unless a designated familyy member signed you out. You roomed in a dorm with 8 other girls, ate at the same tim every day and made to feel like you were some sort of threat to society. I worked in the nursery and when the babies were born I was allowed to give them their first baths. Some nights we had babies brought in from the local mental hospital that the RN's that were on duty

said were fathered by the orderlies there. They were adopted out without tellilng the adoptive parents about their backgrounds. Then there were drug experiments done on the girls withich were not explained fully to us. They would give us these pills to take every day and then come and take our blood once a week but they never did tell us what it was we were taking. Many of the girls turned to each other for comfort and there were times when I would see them making out on the stairways. Then they had a "handyman" that would come onto the floor and not announce that he was there trying to catch the girls in the showers or dressing. It was not a super wonderful place to be and my parents had to pay a pretty steep fee besides what they received in adoption fees for my baby. Needless to say, I suffered from post traumatic stress disorder for 10 years (1970-1980) with panic attacks and depression. It took many years to be able to deal with the loss of my child. I should hope that we will NEVER go back to the "good old days".

Only in passing does your article mention the organization that sprang from barbs of the early 1960s. This organization of concerned birthparents, united in amazing courage, began to whisper about what seemed their own baffling inability to "properly" forget. Buoyed by the stunning realization of that piss-poor advice, they soon ramped up their volume. They confronted parents who had insisted on, and were now invested in, secrecy. But as birthparents turned their back on this personally bankrupt way of being, they began to find their voice. Agitation followed. They argued before bored state legislators who implemented the laws of secrecy and would brook no notion other than to "protect their privacy", like it or not. How do I know this? I was a ringleader of that early band of sisters and the organization we founded is called "Concerned United Birthparents". Google my name for my research and visit the website on this still existing organization? Then, you will have a fuller and more timely story of the women who re-invented themselves after having once been the girls who were put away. -- Lee H. Campbell, Ph.D

Does the book say how the author arrived at the 1.5 million figure? How many pregnant women were not sent to homes for unwed mothers during that time? Is this the majority of women or a small percentage? Do we really know that all 1.5 women were coerced into giving up their babies or is that assumed?

Mother Teresa once said about abortion "It is a poverty that a child must die so that you can live as you wish." It is a grave shame that children are killed through abortion just because the pregnancy is an inconvenience. Most abortions occur for that reason.

To expound upon that theme: It is a shame that a child must be separated from its mother and father because parents do not have the means to remain intact.

After reading this article and the subsequent letters, I think it boils down to a lack of respect for human dignity. These pregnant mothers may have made a mistake, but nonetheless they should not have been stripped of their dignity as a human being. Even when everyone else failed them in their time of need, the homes for these unwed mothers ideally should have come to their aid not only physically but emotionally, socially, and spiritually too. All of us err in one way or another, but that does not mean we give up our God given right to be treated fairly. However, we do have to live with the consequences of our actions and do our best to rectify the situation.

I imagine in many instances there was also a lack of self respect. Having respect for ourselves, our bodies, and others means not only do we uphold our own human dignity but we make better choices in life. And when we fall short of the mark, it brings us back to what I said in paragraph one. There was also a lack of respect for sex within its proper context of a committed relationship (i.e. marriage.) Abstinence based sex education teaches these principles. Any approach to sex education that only teaches the biology and mechanics of sex and contraception is incomplete. I believe in a comprehensive sex education which includes knowing the failure rates for different birth control methods, the dynamics of good and bad relationships, fetal development, parenting, etc. Unfortunately, the advertising and entertainment industries frequently show a lack of respect for human sexuality. Oversexualized images send our youth the wrong message.

Abortion is not the answer either for it is a lack of respect for the sanctity of human life. It does not matter whether you feel guilty about having an abortion or not, it still involves doing bodily harm to the fetus - another human being. Jails are full of people who do not feel guilty for what they have done but that does not diminish the fact that they committed murder, assault, etc. Despite what the Supreme Court said in Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton, science will tell you that the fetus is a distinct living human being (own DNA, blood type, heartbeat, brainwaves, organs, and sometimes gender that is different than the mother's). As a human being, it should be protected. Not recognizing personhood is the first step to such things as racism and genocide. It is what we do in war to be able to kill the enemy. Our children are not our enemies.

As an adoptee born in the 1960s, I plan to ask my birthparents their thoughts on the premise of this book. (We were reunited several years ago.) However I am not sure my birthmother would qualify as one of those 1.5 million young women, and I wonder how many were not sent to homes for unwed mothers. Society has learned much from the abuses of the past. I would hope that any parents' consideration of relinquishing a child today is done freely, willingly, thoughtfully, and in the best interests of the child.