Key facts
- UK Health Secretary Yvette Cooper apologized for the historical practice of mass burials of stillborn babies.
- The apology addresses the "unthinkable pain" caused to parents who were unaware of their babies' burial locations.
UK Health Secretary Yvette Cooper issued a "profound apology" for the "unthinkable pain" caused to parents whose stillborn babies were buried in mass graves without their knowledge. The practice occurred in NHS hospitals between the 1930s and early 1980s, with over 1,000 babies interred in mass burial grounds in the Wirral and more than 270 in Royton, Oldham. The apology follows years of campaigning by affected families and a motion passed by Liverpool city council.
The government's apology acknowledges a historical injustice that caused profound and lasting trauma to thousands of families, offering a sense of closure and dignity to those affected by the past practices of NHS hospitals.
The UK government has issued a "profound apology" for the historical practice of burying stillborn babies in mass graves without the knowledge or consent of their parents. Health Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that the government was sorry for the "unthinkable pain" caused by these practices, which occurred in NHS hospitals over several decades between the 1930s and the early 1980s.
Many bereaved parents were given no information about the fate of their babies' remains, leading to decades of unresolved grief and trauma. In the Wirral alone, more than 1,000 stillborn babies were interred in communal graves at Frankby, Plymyard, and Landican cemeteries between 1935 and 1981. A burial ground in Royton, Oldham, is believed to contain the remains of over 270 babies.
Gina Jacobs, whose son Robert was stillborn in 1969, was among those who campaigned for years for official recognition and an apology. She received a personal apology from Cooper, which she described as a "lottery win" that brings "dignity and respect" to the babies. In July, Liverpool city council unanimously passed a motion calling on the government to apologize in parliament.
Councillor Kris Brown, who proposed the motion, welcomed the apology but stressed the need for further action, including a written apology from the Prime Minister and a national framework to support affected families. The council also urged the government to allocate national funding for retrieving burial records and to conduct a comprehensive review of the mass burial practices.
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