UK apologizes: "Grave Wrong" Of Forced Adoptions

LONDON: Britain should formally apologize to unwed mothers forced to give their babies up for adoption, an official report on Friday gave harrowing details of the pain the women endured.

A report by Parliament's Joint Committee on Human Rights estimated that 185,000 children were taken for adoption in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976.

The committee's chairwoman, Labour MP Harriet Harman, said the bond between mothers and babies was "brutally ruptured" over the period.

"The mothers' only 'crime' was to have become pregnant while unmarried. Their 'sentence' was a lifetime of secrecy and pain," she said.

The committee acknowledged the "grave wrong" done to the mothers and their children, Harman said, adding: "It is time for the government to do the same and issue the apology they seek.. For decades they have been vilified. Now they need to be vindicated." 

According to the report, both Ireland's and Australia's governments issued historic statements of regret for forced adoptions in 2013.

Even after abortion became legal in England, Scotland, and Wales in 1967, women still had to overcome practical obstacles like medical professionals' objections.

Social stigma against unmarried women who become pregnant can be quite strong both before and after.

One woman confided in the committee that she was unable to tell her parents and chose to stay with a family member instead.

The report stated that when her mother eventually learned about the situation, she was scolded and told she was "damaged goods," adding that "I had brought disgrace to the family."

Pregnant young women were routinely sent to adoption agencies by schools, churches, and social services, who frequently instructed their parents without seeking the consent of the women themselves.

Painkillers would sometimes be withheld in hospitals during labour as "punishment," and then, after the birth, newborns would occasionally be removed from their crying mothers' arms and placed for adoption.

One woman reported a doctor asking her while she was in labour, "Have you learned your lesson now?

Another person informed the committee that they should be sterilised since they must be nymphomaniacs, according to a doctor.

The report demanded that the government ease the process for people looking for their mother or kid and that more specialised counselling be provided to those who have been affected.

Unwilling to comment on a potential apology, a government official answered: "All those impacted by historical forced adoption have our sincere sympathies.

Although the past cannot be changed, we have enhanced our laws and practises to be based on empathy "She pointed out that vulnerable women are now given greater care today.