UK government apologizes for forced adoptions, victims demand remedy

The British government has formally apologized for its role in forced adoptions that took place between 1949 and 1976. The apology was delivered in Parliament, with many survivors, including mothers and adult adoptees, present to hear the statement.

Ann Keen, a former Labour MP, shared her experience of being sent away at 17 after becoming pregnant, living in an unmarried mother's home, and being denied pain relief during childbirth. She was separated from her son after eight days and did not see him again for 27 years. Keen described the apology as "profound" and "overwhelming."

Debbie Iromlou, co-founder of the Adult Adoptee Movement, discovered at 16 that she had been forcibly placed into foster care. She spoke about the decades-long struggle to access her birth records and medical history, highlighting the risks of not knowing genetic predispositions. Iromlou found the apology "validating" but stressed the urgent need for mental health support, noting her diagnosis of complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

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 seeking her out. She emphasized that mental health support is the most crucial remedy, recounting her own experiences with mental health issues, including a nervous breakdown and suicide attempts, which she believes are linked to her adoption.

Diana Defries, chair of the Movement for an Adoption Apology, had her daughter forcibly adopted when she was 16. After over a decade of campaigning, she called the apology "hugely significant" and "extraordinary," feeling that survivors were finally being heard and acknowledged. However, Defries stressed that "without the measures to go with the words, the words become meaningless," indicating that the fight for remedy continues.