In a theatre in St. John害羞草研究所檚, N.L., a murmur spreads through the audience as people timidly raise their hands. They have been asked if they saw their own stories reflected in the film they just watched 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淎 Quiet Girl.害羞草研究所�
The National Film Board documentary by Montreal director Adrian Wills follows him as he searches for his biological mother in her home province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Each step closer to his mother takes him deeper into the history of adoption in the province, where many unwed pregnant women in deeply Christian towns surrendered their babies to be brought up by someone else.
害羞草研究所淲hat people said to us afterwards was, 害羞草研究所楳y God, this is my cousin害羞草研究所檚 story, this is my sister害羞草研究所檚 story, this is our story,害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 Wills said in a recent interview after screenings in central Newfoundland. 害羞草研究所淚t was really emotional 害羞草研究所� so many people want to tell you their stories.害羞草研究所�
Many more of those stories need to be told, said Anne Sheldon, who runs a Facebook group called Newfoundland and Labrador Adoptees. Each month there are many new posts from adopted people born in the 害羞草研究所�50s, 害羞草研究所�60s and 害羞草研究所�70s, looking for their biological family members in Newfoundland. The group has more than 14,000 members.
The province害羞草研究所檚 painful history of adoption has largely been kept in the dark, she said. She hopes Wills害羞草研究所檚 film will help change that.
In 害羞草研究所淎 Quiet Girl,害羞草研究所� Wills learns his biological mother became pregnant with him when she was 18, in 1972. Her family at the time was poor and devout. She gave birth to him in a hospital in St. John害羞草研究所檚.
害羞草研究所淚 went in to see her and she was lying on her side and she was just looking at the wall,害羞草研究所� Ellen, his biological aunt, tells him in the film. 害羞草研究所淚 went to the nursery and I asked to see (her baby). And the nurse came and she said, 害羞草研究所業害羞草研究所檓 sorry, you can害羞草研究所檛 see that baby.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
Jean Ann Farrell, the coordinator of Newfoundland Adoption Services in the 1970s, tells him that at any given time, there were 害羞草研究所渉undreds of babies害羞草研究所� available to adopt in the province. The provincial government even advertised the babies in newspapers.
Sheldon, 53, was adopted from Corner Brook, N.L., when she was three months old. Her biological mother lived about 180 kilometres away in Springdale, N.L., which, at the time, was a 害羞草研究所渧ery Pentecostal town,害羞草研究所� Sheldon said.
害羞草研究所淚 don害羞草研究所檛 want to come across as harsh, but they very much looked down upon single, unwed mothers. You were more or less shunned,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭hat害羞草研究所檚 why she had to leave Springdale and go to Corner Brook and give birth to me in secret, and then return.害羞草研究所�
Similar stories were playing out across Canada, in staggering numbers, according to Valerie Andrews, the executive director of Origins Canada, an Ontario-based non-profit supporting families separated by adoption. She害羞草研究所檚 also a PhD student in women害羞草研究所檚 studies at York University and author of the book, 害羞草研究所淲hite Unwed Mother: The Adoption Mandate in Postwar Canada.害羞草研究所�
She has pored over adoption data from across the country documenting the period from the 1940s to the 1970s, and she estimates at least 300,000 babies were surrendered for adoption in that time, often under intense societal and religious pressure.
It害羞草研究所檚 not entirely clear how many, if any, of the approximately 20,000 children taken from Indigenous mothers during the Sixties Scoop are included in that figure, because different provinces kept very different adoption statistics, she said.
Many unwed mothers were secretly shuttled away to the dozens of church-run 害羞草研究所渕aternity homes害羞草研究所� where they lived until their babies were born. They would surrender their infants and go home, told to never think or speak of their child again.
Andrews herself became pregnant at 16 and went to a maternity home in Toronto in 1969. She was reunited with her son three decades later.
害羞草研究所淢any women now 害羞草研究所� are suffering in pain and secrecy,害羞草研究所� she said in an interview. 害羞草研究所淭hey害羞草研究所檙e unable to tell their families that they have this baby. Maybe you害羞草研究所檝e been married to a man for 60 years, you害羞草研究所檙e not going to tell him now, 害羞草研究所極h, by the way.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟
That pain informs Sheldon害羞草研究所檚 approach to her Facebook group, where she insists people look for their families with compassion and care.
She said 害羞草研究所淎 Quiet Girl害羞草研究所� has that compassion. It will help people see the complexity of adoption for the mother and the child, and it will help families separated by adoption better understand each other, she said.
The National Film Board said the film is expected to be released on its website in early 2024.
At the screening in St. John害羞草研究所檚, the audience erupted into sustained applause when Wills said he had found belonging with his biological mother害羞草研究所檚 family, and as a Newfoundlander.
害羞草研究所淭here is this sense that when people are adopted, that they害羞草研究所檙e supposed to just kind of go through life as if that didn害羞草研究所檛 occur,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭his shows there害羞草研究所檚 so much more complexity involved in this situation 害羞草研究所� that you can害羞草研究所檛 just move on and act like this hasn害羞草研究所檛 been a massive experience for everybody involved.害羞草研究所�
Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press
