Objective of the study is to reveal the experiences of mothers with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities whose children have been removed, placing a spotlight on the deeply rooted oppressive societal, institutional, and personal circumstances.
Public discourse legitimizes intervention in the private and family lives of individuals with disabilities, leading to restrictions on the sexual and reproductive rights. Institutional stigma is a contributing factor, as professionals frequently adopt a controlling stance, fuelled by a lack of trust in the abilities of these mothers to care for their children.
Conducted between 2018 and 2022, twelve in-depth qualitative, semi-structured interviews with mothers having intellectual or psychosocial disabilities form the core of this research. The main categories emerged from the research data and shed light on the narratives of mothers who experienced child removal: a) origins: labelled as "deviant" from the beginning, b) the quest for acceptance and attachment, c) the child portrayed as an "incident," both a source of pride and a burden, d) the absence of social affirmation, e) the judgment of removal – swift and irrevocable, and f) feeling abandoned by loved ones, society, and ultimately left childless. The interviews revealed, even if support was offered to women, often it did not come within the timeframe that it was really needed. Having been abandoned during their own childhood, the women later encountered challenges that they couldn’t resolve alone. The support offered often came too late and could not fill the void of love, care, and basic survival skills, which were gaps from their own childhood. Their stories challenge societal power structures by highlighting the resistance of institutional frameworks to embrace diverse maternal roles. In societies advocating for diversity and inclusion, there remains a gap, preventing the acknowledgment of various "motherhoods" that extend beyond the conventional roles depicted on the forefront.
Objective of the study is to reveal the experiences of mothers with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities whose children have been removed, placing a spotlight on the deeply rooted oppressive societal, institutional, and personal circumstances.
Public discourse legitimizes intervention in the private and family lives of individuals with disabilities, leading to restrictions on the sexual and reproductive rights. Institutional stigma is a contributing factor, as professionals frequently adopt a controlling stance, fuelled by a lack of trust in the abilities of these mothers to care for their children.
Conducted between 2018 and 2022, twelve in-depth qualitative, semi-structured interviews with mothers having intellectual or psychosocial disabilities form the core of this research. The main categories emerged from the research data and shed light on the narratives of mothers who experienced child removal: a) origins: labelled as "deviant" from the beginning, b) the quest for acceptance and attachment, c) the child portrayed as an "incident," both a source of pride and a burden, d) the absence of social affirmation, e) the judgment of removal – swift and irrevocable, and f) feeling abandoned by loved ones, society, and ultimately left childless. The interviews revealed, even if support was offered to women, often it did not come within the timeframe that it was really needed. Having been abandoned during their own childhood, the women later encountered challenges that they couldn’t resolve alone. The support offered often came too late and could not fill the void of love, care, and basic survival skills, which were gaps from their own childhood. Their stories challenge societal power structures by highlighting the resistance of institutional frameworks to embrace diverse maternal roles. In societies advocating for diversity and inclusion, there remains a gap, preventing the acknowledgment of various "motherhoods" that extend beyond the conventional roles depicted on the forefront.
Objective of the study is to reveal the experiences of mothers with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities whose children have been removed, placing a spotlight on the deeply rooted oppressive societal, institutional, and personal circumstances.
Public discourse legitimizes intervention in the private and family lives of individuals with disabilities, leading to restrictions on the sexual and reproductive rights. Institutional stigma is a contributing factor, as professionals frequently adopt a controlling stance, fuelled by a lack of trust in the abilities of these mothers to care for their children.
Conducted between 2018 and 2022, twelve in-depth qualitative, semi-structured interviews with mothers having intellectual or psychosocial disabilities form the core of this research. The main categories emerged from the research data and shed light on the narratives of mothers who experienced child removal: a) origins: labelled as "deviant" from the beginning, b) the quest for acceptance and attachment, c) the child portrayed as an "incident," both a source of pride and a burden, d) the absence of social affirmation, e) the judgment of removal – swift and irrevocable, and f) feeling abandoned by loved ones, society, and ultimately left childless. The interviews revealed, even if support was offered to women, often it did not come within the timeframe that it was really needed. Having been abandoned during their own childhood, the women later encountered challenges that they couldn’t resolve alone. The support offered often came too late and could not fill the void of love, care, and basic survival skills, which were gaps from their own childhood. Their stories challenge societal power structures by highlighting the resistance of institutional frameworks to embrace diverse maternal roles. In societies advocating for diversity and inclusion, there remains a gap, preventing the acknowledgment of various "motherhoods" that extend beyond the conventional roles depicted on the forefront.
Keywords
intellectual and psychosocial disabilities
Child removal
mothers with disabilities
