- Author: Girard, Jacqueline
- Title: Hidden mothers - the experiences of unwed mothers in l’Hôpital de la Miséricorde, Montréal, from 1960 to 1973
- Language: English
- Type: Major Research Paper
- Publication Year: 2024
- Publisher: Nipissing University, Masters of Arts in History
■ Abstract From 1853 to 1973, l’Hôpital de la Miséricorde operated as a home, hospital, and nursery for unwed mothers in Montreal. In Catholic Quebec, pregnancy outside of marriage was considered a sin and had no visible place in society. Unwed mothers were pushed out of their families and communities and placed into designated homes and hospitals to give birth. The final decade of the institution’s operation aligned chronologically with the province’s societal, political, and economic changes now known as the Quiet Revolution. Little to no historical research has been conducted on attempts to understand and interpret how unwed mothers experienced la Miséricorde’s home, social services, hospital, and nursery throughout this time. Through oral histories, this major research paper explores how girls and women navigated their pregnancy out of-wedlock at la Miséricorde throughout the institution’s final decade. By complicating common victim and agent binaries, this research argues that the unwed mothers at la Miséricorde experienced varying levels of restriction and liberation. In emphasizing the importance of complexity, this paper investigates how women made choices regarding their pregnancy, childbirth, and adoption at la Miséricorde.
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