Those affected by forced adoptions welcome apology but want more

Many people who had their children taken away and adopted without their full consent have welcomed a formal apology from the UK government. This practice, known as forced adoption, happened between 1949 and 1976. For those affected, the apology is a significant moment after a long fight to have their experiences acknowledged.

Ann Keen, a former Labour MP, shared her personal story. At 17, she became pregnant and was sent away to live in a home for unmarried mothers. She described the experience as punishment. She was made to work hard and was told she couldn't have pain relief during childbirth because she was considered a 'bad girl'. After her son was born, he was taken away when he was only eight days old, and she didn't see him again for 27 years.

Debbie Iromlou, who co-founded the Adult Adoptee Movement, discovered when she was 16 that she had been placed into foster care shortly after her birth in 1968. She spent many years trying to find her birth parents and access information about them. While she managed to meet her birth mother before she died, her father had already passed away. Iromlou explained that being denied access to her own records felt like a denial of her identity and basic human rights. She also highlighted the risk to her own health and her children's health due to not knowing her family's medical history.

Iromlou described the prime minister's apology as 'validating' and 'emotional' after living with decades of trauma. However, she stressed that the apology must be accompanied by mental health support. Like many others, she suffers from complex post-traumatic stress disorder. She noted that accessing suitable therapy has been difficult and expensive, as the medical profession does not fully understand the trauma involved.

Vik Fielder’s mother was forced to give her up for adoption in 1971. Fielder never met her mother and was discouraged by social workers from looking for her, being told she might 'wreck her life'. Fielder believes that denying people the chance to connect with their birth families, even when they are adults, is cruel. She emphasized that mental health support is the most crucial thing the government can offer, revealing her own struggles, including a nervous breakdown and suicide attempts, which were never linked to her adoption.

Diana Defries, chair of the Movement for an Adoption Apology, had her daughter taken away at 16. She felt that after over a decade of campaigning, the apology was extremely significant because it meant their suffering was finally understood and recognised. However, she warned that words alone are not enough. She stated that without practical measures to support victims, the apology could become meaningless, a problem that has affected other apologies in the past.