Witchcraft for Wayward Girls

Homes for unwed mothers, often called maternity homes, were common not only in the United States and Canada but also in Europe during the first half of the 20th century. The most famous of these homes, Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries, were notorious for their harsh living conditions and the cruelty with which young women were treated. Operated by the Catholic Church between the 18th and late 20th centuries, the Magdalene laundries were so brutal that women were known to die while institutionalized. In 1993, a mass grave was unearthed on the grounds of one of the laundries, leading to a massive public outcry and—decades later—an official state apology.

While the Magdalene Laundries are the most notorious of the many homes for unwed mothers that operated in North America and Europe, there were many similar institutions in the United States, and with Witchcraft for Wayward Girls, Grady Hendrix seeks to draw attention to this lost history. Before the sexual liberation movement of the 1960s had a chance to reshape society’s gender and sexuality norms, unmarried pregnant women (particularly adolescents) were harshly stigmatized. Young women who became pregnant before graduating high school were summarily expelled. Lacking the graduation equivalency programs that are widespread today, they were often unable to finish high school. Considered to be undesirable workers, unwed mothers struggled to obtain work and were ostracized by both family and community. Practices such as quietly passing babies born outside of marriage to older, married family members became common, as did the practice of dangerous, illegal abortions.

Maternity homes offered families the opportunity to send their girls away for the duration of their pregnancies and find homes for the girls’ babies. The adoption industry was not always as well-regulated and documented as it is today, and quasi-legal, unregistered adoptions were common. Because life was so difficult for young, unwed mothers, the vast majority of girls who entered maternity homes were forced to give up their children. Like Rose, Fern, and Zinnia, many girls would have preferred to keep their children, and these forced adoptions became a source of secret emotional pain for countless young girls.

In 1973, Roe v. Wade guaranteed women in the United States access to safe, legal abortions. With this option in place, the number of unwanted pregnancies decreased dramatically. Because Roe v. Wade came on the tail end of the women’s and sexual liberation movements of the 1960s, societal attitudes toward sex, gender roles, parenting, and a host of other women’s issues also began to change. It was no longer as taboo for women to have sex or children outside of marriage, and public health efforts were put in place to support and educate young mothers. Access to both abortion and prenatal education transformed life for women, and maternity homes began to close.