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45 MorE INFo j Local advocacy groups and service organizations for unwed mothers’ rights Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association Website: www.kumfa.or.kr Korean Unwed Mothers Support Network Website: www.kumsn.org InTree: Unwed Moms for a Changed Future Website: cafe.naver.com/20130202pm02/98 ‘As a mother, it’s a natural instinct to want to keep and raise your child. even though it’s diffcult, I have no regrets, and my child has given me new life. i would do anything for my son.’ choi hyoung-sook fAmily preservAtion first Mok says that in order to change the misperceptions about unwed moth- ers, society needs to create an atmosphere of support — one that includes greater economic assistance, unbiased counseling and enforcement of child support — instead of one that encourages the separation of mother and child. She feels that familial support is especially important, and that families need to embrace rather than reject a woman in crisis as she had been. Although Mok’s mother had opposed her pregnancy, she helped her find a place to live after the baby was born and would travel two hours by public transportation and back to watch the baby while Mok was at work. “If it hadn’t been for my mom’s support,” Mok says, “I don’t know how I would have done it.” When it became physically impossible for her mom to continue, Mok moved back home. That’s when her father found out, and when he did, he tried to kick Mok’s mother out of the house and demanded a divorce. He finally agreed to let Mok’s son stay, but wouldn’t let Mok in the house until after a few months later, after her mom convinced him that it would be the best thing for their daughter. Mok and her son Ho-seong still live with her parents, and her father has since had a change of heart. “Now, he treats Ho-seong like he’s the king of the house, and because of that, Ho-seong really thinks it’s true. He’ll say things like, ‘Well, grand- father said that I was the best. Grandfather said I was the king for the day, so I’m king for the day.’” Mok and other unwed mothers are combating the questionable practices that have contributed to the idea that their children are unwanted by tell- ing their stories and participating in policymaking activities, including the revisions to the Special Adoption Law. The women have also launched advocacy and service organizations, and together these groups have re- claimed Adoption Day (a national awareness day created to promote do- mestic adoption) as Single Moms’ Day to push the government to support their right to raise their children. In fighting discriminative laws and policies, these activists are also aiming to shift perceptions. According to Heit, “The first question (people) always ask is, ‘Why didn’t you have an abortion?’ The second is, ‘Why didn’t you send for adoption?’ So it got to the point where moms thought, ‘Why is it that I can’t raise my child alone without it being weird or something mentionable?’” As Choi puts it, “As a mother, it’s a natural instinct to want to keep and raise your child. Even though it’s difficult, I have no regrets, and my child has given me new life. I would do anything for my son.”