UK government must urgently apologise for forced adoption, MPs say | Adoption

The UK government must urgently issue a formal apology for the state’s role in forced adoption as many victims are nearing the end of their lives, a cross-party group of MPs has said.

A report by the education select committee said ministers should first commit to apologizing and start working with groups of survivors on apologies as quickly as possible.

He said a formal, public apology was needed to set the public record straight and lessen the burden felt by many mothers and adoptees.

Between 1949 and 1976, due to the culture of shame surrounding pregnancy outside marriage, an estimated 185,000 babies were taken from unmarried mothers and given up for adoption in England and Wales. Religious organizations managed most of the mother and baby homes where pregnant women were sent to give birth; Charities and local authorities were also involved in financing placements and finding adoptive parents.

Helen Hayes MP, chair of the education select committee, said hearing from survivors about their experiences was “one of the most moving days I’ve had in parliament”.

“Historical forced adoption practices have strained mothers and caused unimaginable trauma for many generations of women and profound, often devastating effects for their children,” she said. “Our report today is clear – the government must urgently offer an unconditional apology for the state’s role in shaping forced adoption practices that harmed so many survivors.”

In 2023, the Welsh and Scottish governments formally apologized for their forced adoption practices, and the head of the Catholic church in England and Wales issued an apology in 2016.

The UK government has yet to issue a statement, but children’s minister Josh MacAlister told the committee he was “actively considering” doing so and that it should be communicated by a senior member of the government to reflect the seriousness of the injustice.

Countries such as Ireland and Australia have introduced financial compensation schemes after apologizing for the forcible removal of children from unmarried mothers.

Last year, the Adoption Apology Movement (MAA) campaign group said it was considering legal action over “the UK government’s failure to provide any meaningful compensation or formal apology for the disgusting practices it has overseen”.

The education committee concluded that although there was no single perpetrator of forced adoption, government decisions shaped the environment in which unmarried mothers were shamed and forced to give their children up for adoption.

Their recommendations also included better access to records, trauma-informed health care for survivors, and ensuring survivors can regularly consult with the government.

The Salvation Army and Barnardo’s gave evidence to the committee and were criticized for speaking in a way that “failed to acknowledge their role in forced adoptions” and gave the impression of justifying rather than accepting responsibility.

The charities subsequently wrote to the committee to “clarify their position”, but the committee urged them to avoid “hiding behind historical social norms”, the report said.

These were two of several churches and charities working with social services and health care to facilitate adoptions at the time. “It is hoped that any apology from the government will encourage such organizations to reflect on their legacy,” the report said.

Giving evidence to the committee, Sally Ells, 59, a co-founder of the Adult Adoption Movement, said: “We need a meaningful apology from the government to correct the harmful distorted narrative that we are unwanted and come from unfit mothers.

“This is a recognition that adoption is forced and causes harm, that adult adoptees and mothers deserve an apology, and that we deserve compensation, too.”

Ells was born and adopted in 1967 and was left with a “tremendous never-ending fear of rejection,” she said. He tracked down his biological parents a few years ago and was able to confirm that it was a forced separation.

He added that the injury persists for mothers and adult adoptees, who are more likely to experience serious mental health issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder. “There is permanent damage. It’s not historical, it’s not in the past, it’s happening right now,” he said.

A government spokesman said: “This disgusting practice should never have happened and we offer our deepest sympathies to everyone affected. We are taking this matter extremely seriously and continue to communicate with those affected to provide support.”