The Girls Who Went Away

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/the-girls-who-went-away

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. Who wrote The Girls Who Went Away?Oral histories and personal accounts of women who surrendered children for adoption
2. What is the book publication year?2006
3. What is the key societal factor?Limited reproductive rights and stringent social norms regarding out-of-wedlock pregnancies
4. What is "The Girls Who Went Away" about?It is a book that shares stories of young women who gave their babies for adoption before Roe v. Wade.
5. Why did many girls choose adoption instead of abortion?Because abortion was illegal and dangerous, and there were very few other options for them.

Relinquishment: The act of formally giving up a child for adoption, often under societal or familial pressure.
Maternity Homes: Institutions providing shelter and support for pregnant, unmarried women during the mid-20th century.
Roe v. Wade: A pivotal 1973 Supreme Court ruling that established a woman's constitutional right to abortion.
Closed Adoption: An adoption process where identifying information between birth parents and adoptive parents is not shared.