London, United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday apologised to women forced to give up their babies and to those separated from their mothers at birth under a postwar system of forced adoptions targeting unmarried women.
He told parliament that an estimated 185,000 children were separated from their mothers in Britain and said the state was deeply sorry for the lifelong trauma caused.
State apology in parliament
Starmer said he was apologising on behalf of the state for the impact of the forced adoption system.
“On behalf of the whole country, I say it to every single person impacted: we are deeply and profoundly sorry,” he told parliament.
System targeting unmarried women
Between 1949 and 1976, the British state and Christian churches created a system in which young women who had children outside marriage were shamed and coerced into giving up their babies to comply with the social norms of the time.
An estimated 185,000 children were separated from their mothers in Britain under the system.
Church of England acknowledgment
The Church of England apologised for its role last month, acknowledging its involvement in running so-called “mother and baby homes”.
These homes were places where unmarried women were sent, often against their will, during pregnancy or after giving birth, and where they were separated from their babies.
Background to the apology
The state apology follows similar apologies by Ireland and Australia.
It also comes four years after Britain’s human rights committee concluded that the government was “ultimately responsible” for the lack of protection for unmarried mothers and their babies.
Meeting with affected families
Before making his apology to parliament, Starmer met a group of affected mothers and children at his Downing Street residence.
“There never was any shame for you. The shame actually is ours. The shame is on the state and all those that were responsible for this,” he told them.