Do you think Birth Mothers is an insensitive comment?

[donnashuggy]

Apparently Tony Abbott has withdrawn the comment and apologised.

[izabsmiling]

Lady Em, it isn't your pain or mine 

[izabsmiling]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-21/gillard-to-deliver-forced-adoption-apology/4585450

[the_great_she_elephant]

Jane, unless we are ourselves relinquishing mothers then what you or I think about Mr Abbott's choice of words is pretty much irrelevant.  Clearly the hecklers - who had been deprived of their babies - found Mr Abbott's remarks hurtful and insensitive.

Having said that, I can accept that he didn't intend his words to be demeaning and offensive and he has done the right thing by apologising. What I can't understand was why he felt the need to drag his ex girlfriend  into the equation and remind everyone that the child conceived during his relationship with her turned out not to be his. . 

[icyfroth]

What's wrong with the term Birth Mothers?

[the_great_she_elephant]

What's wrong with the term Birth Mothers?

To get a meaningful answer to that Icy you would need to ask a mother whose baby was taken from her at birth without her consent and given to someone else.

[twinkles**stars]

what else would we call these women?....birth mother is the correct term. imo some go overboard? dreadful to be forced to give up a child but that doesn't mean birth mother is not the correct term. egg donar??????? 

[sandypas]

I have two adopted children - having met the biological family, neither were forced adoptions.

I don't mind being called the adoptive parent by certain people, and I have always told my children (as advised by the social worker) that their birth parents loved them but wanted better for them.  When discussing things with them, I sometimes call them their biological parents and sometimes parents.  Some people are too touchy.

[donnashuggy]

The fact is, it did offend.

what else would we call these women?

I think Mothers would be more appropriate

[izabsmiling]

I agree with TGSE

Some of these parents have use the words kidnapping.

If my child was kidnapped (taken against my will) I would always and should always be considered their 'parent' .

[izabsmiling]

Totally different I would imagine to an adoption that a parent/s wants and freely agrees to.