Why do we show

more compassion to

puppies than to human babies?

By Karen Chaston

In Australia, and many places around the world, it’s considered unethical; even inhumane,

to separate a puppy from its mother before it’s at least eight to nine weeks old.

Why?

Because we understand how vital that early bond is.
We know the mother teaches the puppy emotional regulation, a sense of safety, and how to relate to the world.
We know early separation can cause distress, trauma, and long-term behavioural issues.

And yet…

During the Forced Adoption Era (1946 to early ’80s),

thousands of babies were separated from their mothers at birth;

often without consent, without support, without even a moment to hold one another.

And society called it “the right thing to do.”

Actually, in some places, these practices continue today.
And they’re still saying it’s the right thing to do.

No questions asked.
No recognition that the emotional bond was already formed in utero.
No understanding of the trauma encoded into the body of both the mother and her child at the moment of separation.

For the mother, it was the disenfranchised grief of losing her child yet being told she would not grieve.
For the baby, it was a preverbal wound; the first rupture of trust, safety, and connection.
A wound imprinted in the body, woven into every relationship, every moment of identity formation.

And for the child, they too experienced disenfranchised grief;

grief that society didn’t recognise, validate, or even believe they were entitled to.

Because their loss happened before words, but not before feeling.

We show more compassion to puppies than to women and their newborns.

Let that sink in.

This post isn’t about blame.
It’s about awareness.
It’s about compassion.
It’s about finally saying: this was – and continues to be inhumane.

It’s about listening to the voices of those with lived experience:
Mothers who were shamed into silence.
Adoptees who grew up with a longing they couldn’t name.
And who were told to be grateful for a life that began with loss.

Because we must stop pretending this didn’t matter.
And we must start acknowledging the emotional cost of adoption.

Especially as it begins with trauma.

#ForcedAdoption #HistoricalJustice #AdopteeVoices
#AdoptionAwareness #SeparationTrauma #CoercedAdoption
#GenerationalHealing