This This American Life segment was about two families linked by the inadvertent switching of their babies at birth.  Although the switch was more than suspected by one of the mother’s involved, the entire truth did not surface until 43 years had passed.  I found the story compelling on many levels.  One thing that caught my attention was the powerlessness, perceived or actual, of the mothers involved.  Mrs. Miller, the mother who almost immediately suspected the switch, told her husband of her suspicions but, met by his incredulity and resistance, declined to pursue the matter actively.   Over the course of the story it became clear that the power differential in her relationship with her husband was so great, that she chose to give up her birth child rather than risk angering her husband  by opposing his wishes and pursuing the matter .  Thus, instead of exercising agency to resolve the matter, Mrs. Miller spent 43 years dropping oblique hints and doing what she could behind the scenes to keep track of her birth daughter’s well-being.  She explains near the end of the segment that she had six children to raise and could not risk a breech with her husband.  This brings into play questions about a woman’s agency being tied to her level of economic autonomy and begs the question of what choices Mrs. Miller might have made had she the financial wherewithal to support herself and her children.  Perhaps her decision would have been the same; perhaps not.

The other aspect that fascinated me was how strong the influence of “nature” is in creating our personalities.  I understand, of course, how genetics influences our physical characteristics, but had always felt that “nurture” played a stronger role when it comes to personality and character. This segment seemed to present anecdotal evidence of the primacy of “nature” over “nurture.”  While I continue to believe that both “nature” and “nurture” contribute to a person’s character and am not convinced that “nature” plays the stronger role,  I find it interesting to consider how an ineluctable  influence of “nature” might impact issues ranging from adoption to our understanding of race and ethnicity.