I like magicpointeshoe. She’s smart. She’s recently been discussing terminology in adoption land regarding “birth parents.” She clarified a recent post just this morning and I have to quote this paragraph:

There is one more thought that I have on the topic. In one of my courses this semester on people with disabilities, I studied part of the history of terminology used on people with disabilities. Their history in reform of how they were being treated included changing the language used into people first terminology. Instead of giving a description of a person to be looked for as a “wheelchaired lady” it should be a lady using a wheelchair. That the disability isn’t what defines the person and therefore shouldn’t be used first to describe a person. I think that totally applies in the feelings of why the birth qualifier is starting to disappear a bit.

Wow. I’ve never been able to pinpoint why the “birth mother” title has bothered me. While I do typically refer to myself via the “first mother” term and feel a general sense of comfort with it, there have been times when it hasn’t felt just right as well. And that’s the nail on the head there.

Very interesting. Kudos for making me ponder, magicpointeshoe!