Ministers should officially apologize to tens of thousands of single mothers in England and Wales who had their babies adopted through a “brutal and cruel” process, MPs and colleagues said.
The Joint Commission on Human Rights (JCHR) estimates that 185,000 children were taken from their mothers between 1949 and 1976, and says the government has the ultimate responsibility for the pain and suffering caused by public institutions and government employees. State involved in the process.
In a condemned report released Friday, it says women and girls suffered stigma and shame initially for getting pregnant out of wedlock and later because they were misperceived that they had abandoned their children voluntarily.
The legacy was a life of suffering for mothers and adoptees, including the impacts on mental health and the challenges of forming future relationships.
At oral tests at the JCHR, Judy Baker, who gave birth two days before her 19th birthday and seven weeks later her baby was adopted, said: “It’s been 53 years and I’m still a shipwreck due to of what happened to him.me and my daughter.
“We’ve been silent for so long because of this horrible layer of shame that has been put on us that we never deserved … I could never say goodbye. They took her to the next room where the they were expecting their new parents, and that was all. “
The report said adoption practices at the time were “lacking in humanity,” with many mothers feeling they had no real choice in placement for the adoption of their children. The committee heard evidence that they were often treated terribly by people whose job it was to help them, such as social workers and NHS medical staff, as well as their own family members.
Many women and girls were transferred to mother and baby homes, run by the state or religious and charitable organizations, during the last weeks of their pregnancy. There, some were punished for having a child out of wedlock, forced to scrub stairs and floors. One recalled that those who opposed it were slapped.
Adopted people told the commission that they were warned to ask about their past and that when they got an answer, they were sometimes told – falsely – that their mothers had given them away.
The committee said the state should apologize because it is responsible for the conduct of employees of public bodies such as the NHS and “the policies and laws of the time, as well as the omissions of policies and laws, which they allowed these practices. “
JCHR President Harriet Harman said: “The only” crime “of the mothers was to get pregnant while they were not married. Their” conviction “was a lifetime of secrecy and pain. to say that they had “given” their baby up for adoption when they had not done such a thing.His son grew up and was told that his mother had given them away.
“Mothers had to endure a cruel double dose of shame. First, the shame of getting pregnant out of wedlock, and second, when society’s attitude toward single mothers changed, they were judged for allegedly not caring for their babies and giving away their baby.
“These adoptions would never happen now and shouldn’t have happened then. They didn’t do anything wrong, but they themselves were unfair. The Joint Human Rights Committee recognizes the serious harm done to these mothers and their children. It’s time let the government do the same and explain the apologies they ask for. “
In addition to urging the government to issue a formal apology, the JCHR says it should do more to support those facing lifelong consequences, including improved access to counseling for to those affected by the legacy of adoption practices and the removal of barriers to accessing adoption documents.
A government spokesman said: “We have the deepest solidarity with all those affected by the historic forced adoption.
“While we cannot undo the past, we have strengthened our legislation and practice to build on empathy, from NHS maternity services caring for vulnerable women and babies, to our work to transform the process. adoption and care system to help children settle in stable homes.
“Help is available for those affected by previous adoption practices, including locating their children or birth parents.”