“Legally, everything was mostly correct”

Forced adoptions in Switzerland have so far received little research. According to historian Rahel Bühler of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and Arts (ZHAW), the procedures were mostly legally correct, but unmarried mothers were under enormous social and official pressure.

Young women were "put under severe psychological pressure and forced to consent to an abortion, sterilization, or adoption of one or more of their children." The Federal Office of Justice records this under the heading "Victims of Coercive Welfare Measures and Out-of-Home Care." 

Unlike, for example, indentured children, forced adoptions have received little public attention. From a scientific perspective, the events have also been little studied. "There are many unanswered questions," says Rahel Bühler (44) of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). The historian has co-authored recent studies on adoptions in forced situations in Switzerland since the 1960s.

Multi-layered coercion

It's impossible to quantify how many women share Elisabeth Meister's experience . "The files show that, legally, everything was mostly handled correctly," says Bühler. No official stood next to a young mother's bed, forcing her to sign a waiver. The coercion was more subtle and complex. 

The single – and often young – mothers were under enormous pressure: from society and their families, financially, from authorities and adoption agencies – and, not least, they sometimes put pressure on themselves to give their child a better life through adoption. "The women had little autonomy to make decisions," says the researcher. 

Single mothers did not automatically receive custody

Until the 1970s, women were held to stricter moral standards than men. Extramarital sexual relations could be grounds for administrative care. 

Rahel Bühler points out the unequal treatment of illegitimate children: A child born out of wedlock automatically received legal counsel. The guardianship authority decided whether the mother was entitled to custody. With the revision of child rights in 1978, illegitimate children were finally given equal rights. The stigma thus diminished. At the same time, domestic adoptions declined sharply. At that time, women were also better educated and had easier access to contraceptives.