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Adoption moved to Facebook and a war began

March 07, 2021 | by Julian L. Mertz | No comments

PLUS: How a hashtag incited a military intervention, and inside Hollywood's economy of secrets.

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03.07.21

In the past, a mother placing a child for adoption often held her anguish inside, silently, secretly. Then came the internet and social media. As the process of childless people seeking to adopt moved online to sites like Facebook, a movement of people opposed to adoption also found their voice. Women who feel regret and anger about having given up their children, as well as estranged grown-up adoptees, make their hurt known—and sometimes lash out in droves against those who want to adopt.

On Facebook and other sites, angry anti-adoption activists lash out at prospective adoptive parents, calling them vultures, narcissists, psychopaths, and worse. Those attacks can come as a shock to people seeking to adopt a child. Samantha M. Shapiro, who has written with great sensitivity about homeless students and child preachers, delved into this world, following the story of an adoptive couple who entered the fray and a woman whose grandson was taken by child protective services and adopted by another family. It's a moving story, one that takes place in the most tender of spaces—the love between parent and child.

Vera Titunik | Features Editor, WIRED

Adoption Moved to Facebook and a War Began

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