From stigma to choice: Illegitimate children in Basque culture

The article analyzes the situation of illegitimate children in Basque culture from a historical perspective. To do this, the author examines the place of parenthood in Basque value systems and customs, as well as the position of women, including unwed mothers, and perceptions of illegitimate children, both in the past and the present. Attention is also drawn to the nature of institutional care for abandoned children. Based on field research, the author presents the fate of a specific abandoned child. Additionally, the text addresses the issue of newborn trafficking and illegal adoptions in Spain, as well as the cultural changes that have occurred in this country and in the Basque region in the twentieth and twenty‑first centuries.