Please join us as we talk with Lorraine Dusky, author of Hole in My Heart: Love and Loss in the Fault Lines of Adoption, as well as the book Birthmark and many other books and articles. Lorraine was the first mother to come forward and publicly talk about her experience with loss to adoption during the height of the baby scoop era. Lorraine has been a vocal advocate of adoptee rights and unrestricted access to birth certificates for over fifty years. Her books can be found at bookstores and can also be ordered online at sites like Amazon

Amazon.com: Hole in My Heart: Love and Loss in the Fault Lines of Adoption eBook : Dusky, Lorraine: Kindle Store

Lynn Grubb can be found online at

Mentioned in the episode:

Saving Our Sisters

Roe v Wade:

Dobbs Decision:

Alitos draft opinion: Read Justice Alito's initial draft abortion opinion which would overturn Roe v. Wade - POLITICO

Safe Haven Baby Boxes: legal abandonment boxes leased in some states from the Safe Haven Baby Box company, whic h profits from infants being anonymously deposited. For more information, visit Stop Safe Haven Baby Boxes

Florence Fisher/ ALMA, Bastard Nation:

Turnaway Study:

Reunion with a Grave: the experience that many adoptees have, learning the identities of family members only after those relatives have died.

Birth Index: Every county in the United States has some mechanism for collecting and maintaining birth records, as do most countries. They may have different names, but serve the same purpose. Some birth indices are public information, others are not.

The FOG (Fear, Obligation and Guilt) This term is not exclusive to adopted people. This is a good article by Derek Grimm that talks about his experience. I would expand the definition to include not just seperation from mother, but from our entire extended family.

AB 1302: AB 1302 is a Mommy May I bill being touted as progress for adoptees, when the bill is actually discriminatory and with create additional layers of trauma for adoptees in a state that is already incredibly callous about adoptee rights. Here is a good article discussing the bill by Greg Luce of AdopteesUnited.org Please let California legislators know that you oppose AB 1302, and ask that the sponsor amend to make this a clean bill.

Disclaimer: the hosts and our guest are not lawyers, or therapists or religious gurus. All opinions expressed are just that-opinions.

If you are experiencing suicidal ideation, please reach out to someone for help. You are important. You matter. Below are some resources for people dealing with trauma, including sexual abuse.

RAINN | The nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization

Help Prevent Suicide | SAMHSA

Mental health support: get help - Canada.ca

Mental health services - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Crisis support - Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (aihw.gov.au)

Mental health and wellbeing – where to get help | Ministry of Health NZ

Thank you for joining us as we spoke with Lorraine Dusky. Please read her book and share! Lorraine wrote the book in the hope that the information contained be accessible and useful not just to the public but also to educators, mental health professionals and legislators.

Hole in My Heart: Love and Loss in the Fault Lines of Adoption

Lorraine Dusky, Author | Website | Books | Interview | Quotes - AllAuthor