In the United States, adoption is widely framed as a voluntary and selfless act, but new research challenges that narrative. A qualitative sociologist spent years studying birth mothers who relinquished their children. She found that many of the women were driven less by choice and more by lack of support, financial hardship and systemic pressures. We examine how policy and inequality shape adoption as well as the emotional effect the American adoption system can have on birth parents.
Guest: Gretchen Sisson, Ph.D., sociologist and author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood
'Never believe in never'
Academy Award-winning actress Laura Dern was unexpectedly cast into the role of caregiver after her mother, Diane Ladd, was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and given three to six months to live. Refusing to give up, the pair advocated relentlessly for Diane’s health, eventually connecting with a pulmonologist who encouraged her to continue living with purpose. The journey brought Laura and Diane closer together through their daily walks and conversations. Diane Ladd went on to live seven more years, inspiring Laura to bring awareness to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by amplifying patients' voices and care through her Beyond the Scars Campaign.
Guest: Laura Dern, Academy Award-winning actress and lung health advocate