A clear, crisp and deeply moving personal account of the experience of unwed motherhood in the 1960s—a time when young, white women were pressed hard to surrender their “illegitimate” babies. This video will help students, teen mothers, teachers, counselors, and others understand our recent past and the enduring, painful aspects of adoption.

Rickie Solinger, author “Wake Up Little Susie: Pregnancy and Race before Roe v. Wade”; “Beggars and Choosers: How the Politics of Choice Shapes Adoption, Abortion and Welfare in the United States
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Through one woman’s account, “Broken Ties” reveals an important emotional and political aspect of the history of unmarried women in the 1960s. Through the use of personal documentary, Debra chronicles the cultural and familial dynamics that resulted in her pregnancy, her abandonment to a home for unwed mothers, the closed adoption of her baby, and her subsequent and continued regret. This short video adds another voice and offers another perspective to those already assembled in media on the multiple meanings of adoption, abortion, and motherhood.

Beth E. Schneider, Professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies, UC Santa Barbara
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Debra Baker’s autobiographical film, “Broken Ties” explores her experience of being pregnant and unwed at age 18 in 1967. Interviews today with Debra, her sister, mother, and social worker depict how she came to comply with a family decision to put her in a home for unwed mothers and to give her baby boy up for adoption. These interviews give emotional depth to her experience while placing it in historical perspective. The short film is excellent for college classes in women’s history and courses in women’s studies and the social sciences, which deal with family issues, childbirth, teenage pregnancy, and adoption. In addition, the film would be appropriate for high school students.

E. Kay Trimberger, Adoptive Parent, Professor & Coordinator, Women’s Studies Program, Sonoma State University
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“Broken Ties” should be shown to parent and student audiences in every high school. The honest and touching revelations of Debra Baker and her family can stimulate a deeper and more heartfelt level of discussion about teenage pregnancy. This is a valuable resource for counselors whose clients are dealing with unplanned pregnancy or adoption issues, and it can help us in offering both educational and emotional support to families.

Penny Wright, M.S., Marriage and Family Therapist
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