The 'Breeder' Riots were a series of spontaneous and uncoordinated attacks that took place in the early 1950s against pregnant women in Wellington Wells.
Overview[]
Following the the events of "The Very Bad Thing", a resentment grew among parents who had sent their children away. Through the early 1950s, there were multiple reports of pregnant women being attacked by mobs of people. Two specific riots are known about, but a journal entry from Sally Boyle[1] and dialogue from a Downer[2] implies that there were more. The fact that they were even able to be dubbed as "'Breeder' riots" further implies that there were many more.
A newspaper clipping from the Hamlyn "O" Courant dated 12 April, 1950, details a riot that left three people dead. General Sir Robert Byng is quoted as saying that potentially dozens of people were involved in the attack, and his tone suggests that he was largely uninterested in conducting an investigation into the matter. Another newspaper clipping, found during the Prologue inside Prudence Holmes' office, tells the story of "another" riot that took place in November 1951. Seven-month pregnant Anne McCutcheon and her husband, Cyril, were attacked in the street by a man named Ranulph Alderly, along with three unnamed women. Anne and Cyril were thought to be in a stable condition, but it's unknown if their unborn baby survived. The attackers were arrested, but, again, the police response lacked sympathy, with PC John Constable's statement effectively victim-blaming soon-to-be mothers for being visibly pregnant in public.
In the midst of these attacks, women were effectively forced to hide their pregnancies for the sake of their, and their children's, lives. The Diary of a Wayward Girl tells the story of a woman that was made to live away from the eyes of society until she was ready to give birth, at which point she would have to give up her baby and return to her normal life, as if she was never even pregnant. Her writing implies that this was common-place, as, six months before she's even given birth, she is both aware and seemingly in acceptance of the fact that she will have to give up her baby; Margaret Oliphant of the "O" Courant is said to have gone through the same process herself. The woman's diary also describes a scenario that could've almost ended in another riot. When attending church on 19 December, 1950, the woman was "ganged up" on by a group of women that screamed at her and acted like "rabid dogs".
Following the riots, less people began having children in Wellington Wells. It's possible that the riots were the impetus for making Joy a contraceptive.
