The girls who went away : the hidden history of women who surrendered children for adoption in the decades before Roe v. Wade
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"In this work, Ann Fessler brings out into the open for the first time the astonishing untold history of the million and a half women who surrendered children for adoption due to enormous family and social pressure in the several decades before Roe v. Wade. This is the true story of "sex and the single girl" in the post-World War II years - a story not of carefree sexual liberation, but rather of a devastating double standard that had punishing long-term effects on millions of American women who were told they had no choice but to give up their children." "Ann Fessler brings the women's voices as well as the spirit of those times to life, allowing the women to tell their stories in intimate detail. The stories she uncovered are often shocking in their revelation of the degree of pressure brought to bear on these women, the lack of compassion and guidance shown them, and the failure to appreciate the lifelong consequences of coercing a woman to surrender her child."--JACKET.