Born: Unknown, New Zealand (assumed)
Died: Unknown
Country most active: New Zealand
Also known as: NA
In 1970s New Zealand, Joss Shawyer campaigned for the rights of single mothers. A single mum of twins, Shawyer founded The Council for the Single Mother and Her Child in 1973 and was a founding member of Jigsaw in 1976, which helped birth mothers find children who had been adopted out. Her 1979 book Death by Adoption argued that social policies, practices and adoption law forced women to give up their babies. She also published Everything a Single Parent Needs to Know, a book with advice on housing, income and legal issues, in a time when most parenting books focused on childcare and health. She also worked with Sisters Overseas Service, which helped women travel from New Zealand to Australia to obtain abortions in the 1970s and 1980s.