Meg Hale’s book, Mothers in ARMS tells the story of how mothers in South Australia who had been separated from their children by adoption formed a support group which was responsible for a ground-breaking change in legislation. The passage of the1988 Adoption Act made South Australia the first place in the Western world to give mothers and adults who had been adopted as children equal rights to identifying information about each other. Mothers in ARMS is now available from Wakefield Press (http://www.wakefieldpress.com.au/). It will also be available soon as an e-book. Meg has written a book which is interesting and engaging and which celebrates the way in which mothers supported each other, empowered themselves and brought their issues to the attention of politicians and the community in general.
Evelyn has fond memories of the positive aspects of the self-help experience and is very glad that Meg has produced this historical record of an organisation which brought about the legislation in South Australia which has set an example to the rest of the world.As a result of her association with ARMS,Evelyn has gone on to assist many people around the world and to advise politicians on adoption-related issues.