Gretchen Sisson

Gretchen Sisson
OccupationsWriter, researcher
EmployerAdvancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at University of California, San Francisco
Known forAuthor of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood

Gretchen Sisson is an American sociologist and writer. Sisson works with Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at University of California, San Francisco, and is the author of Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood.[1][2] Her research on adoption and abortion has been cited in the dissent of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and has been covered in outlets like The Washington Post, The Nation, Time, The Boston Globe, and many others.[3][4][5][6]

Career

A qualitative sociologist, Sisson studies abortion and adoption at Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at University of California, San Francisco. Her research was cited in the dissenting opinion of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.[7]

Sisson also writes about media regarding their representations of abortion and adoption, studying American television shows running between 2005–2014 and concluding that "Hollywood grossly exaggerates the risk of abortion: While the number of plotlines featuring abortion has grown in recent decades, movies and television shows often kill off characters for even just contemplating the possibility of this procedure."[8][9][10] She and her co-researcher, Steph Harold, told Business Insider that Bridgerton, Grey's Anatomy, Shrill, The Bold Type, Dear White People, Dirty Dancing, and Jane the Virgin had the best portrayals.[11]

Starting in 2010 while working as a doctoral student, Sisson interviewed hundreds of mothers who put their kids up to adoption for a project that would eventually become her book, Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood.[12][13] After a decade of research, she published it in 2025. She considered the book to be for those who "support reproductive choice but have never interrogated what adoption means and who adoption serves."[14]

Sisson is also on the board of Emerge America, as well as part of the Electing Women Alliance and regularly hosts congressional and gubernatorial candidates from across the country.[15]

Personal life

Sisson is married to Andrew McCollum. The two married in 2012.[16]

References

  1. ^ King, Jesse. "Gretchen Sisson on 'Relinquished' and the politics of adoption". WAMC. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  2. ^ Campbell |, Campbell. "It's Easier to Just Take: PW Talks with Gretchen Sisson". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  3. ^ Tuttle, Kate (2024-02-15). "Gretchen Sisson advocates for centering birth parents and their needs as an adoption alternative". The Boston Globe. ISSN 0743-1791. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  4. ^ Sisson, Gretchen (2021-12-03). "Perspective | Barrett is wrong: Adoption doesn't 'take care of' the burden of motherhood". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  5. ^ "Review | Adoption's warm, fuzzy reputation doesn't hold up to reality". The Washington Post. 2024-03-06. Archived from the original on 2025-07-24. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  6. ^ Sisson, Gretchen; Harrison, Jessica M. (2021-12-07). "What We Get Wrong About Adoption". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  7. ^ "UCSF's Gretchen Sisson Spotlights Experiences of Birth Mothers in 'Relinquished' | KQED". www.kqed.org. 2024-02-24. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  8. ^ Metraux, Julia (2022-07-15). "How Television Can (De)Stigmatize Abortion". JSTOR Daily. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  9. ^ Sisson, Gretchen (2025-01-21). "Review | An author separates the fiction of orphanhood from the reality". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  10. ^ Khamsi, Roxanne (2014-01-17). "Characters Who Have, or Just Think About Having Abortions Often Die". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  11. ^ Naftulin, Julia. "The best abortion portrayals in TV and movies according to experts, from 'The Bold Type' to 'Bridgerton'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  12. ^ "Researcher on Politics of Adoption Focuses on Birth Mothers". WTTW News. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  13. ^ Sisson, Gretchen (2024-02-29). "Adoption, Abortion, Autonomy: On the Literature of Reproductive Justice". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  14. ^ Littlefield, Amy (2024-03-18). "Whom Does Adoption Really Serve? A Q&A With Gretchen Sisson". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  15. ^ Examiner |, E. B. Boyd | Special to The (2024-03-24). "Gretchen Sisson on 'Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption'". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  16. ^ Tate, Ryan; Tate, Ryan (2012-06-15). "The Fabulous Nerd Weddings of Facebook Big Shots". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2026-08-07.

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