A Tragedy All Round,

[emmie]

this is an appalling story, and one that should be out in the open, upwards of 250 thousand women over three decades forced to give up their babies, because they were born out of wedlock. I watched the news on BBC, where i couldn't find a link but the Guardian has run it.


https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/may/26/hundreds-uk-women-demand-formal-apology-forced-adoptions?via=webuproar

[jourdain2]

That was then - this is now. I can remember in the early '60s that an older friend disappeared for a while and then suddenly her mum had an unexpected baby. Only 40 years ago until I worked it out. Why on earth should our Govt. today apologise for any attitudes from those times? When my mum was younger (early 1930's) if you had an illegitimate baby you could be consigned to a mental health unit! For crying out loud - attitudes change! Now't to do with us.

Should we apologised for having enjoyed 'Workers' Playtime' on the radio or George Formby (much though we may shudder)? That's how it was.

[xstitcher]

And I wonder how much sexual abuse was going on by the very people condemning these poor pregnant girls.

[emmie]

i did know about this, but truly not the scale, a quarter of a million or a lot more seemingly, had babies out of wedlock and the sheer inhumanity of it to me is staggering. Perhaps we shall have to see what the government has to say, maybe they don't need to personally apologise, i just don;t know, but to simply say that was then seems wrong. I know all about being some being consigned to a mental health unit, disgraceful as that was.

[youngmafbog]

//i did know about this, but truly not the scale//

Quarter of a million over 3 decades, given the attitudes of society then I'm surprised it isn't more to be honest.

But can someone please explain why the Government of today have to apologise. If they say sorry it would be pointless since they (and even previous Governments of all colours) were not to blame.

Or are we getting into where there is a blame there is a claim territory?

[emmie]

no i don't think those who are after apologies, are after compensation, many are lost souls - one woman who was adopted said that she didn't have the life she should have had with her birth mother. but was adopted out, and now those adopted perhaps are looking for some answers, i know i would be. I think its all so sad for the birth mothers and the adopted children, and yes one paper said that there were nearer half a million taken and adopted.

[10ClarionSt]

Squad @ 17.43
//However one couldn't become pregnant without sexual intercourse.
How is that the fault of the Government ?//

It clearly isn't the fault of the govt. The reaction to it is the cause of the problem, still living with the left-overs of Victorian morals.

[youngmafbog]

Still dont see why the Government have to apologise, or for what.

[emmie]

the trouble is Victorian morals were a sham. More prostitutes in Victorian times than now. Children taken away to work in factories, and so forth.

[emmie]

best ask someone who has been adopted i suppose. did you read the BBC link i posted....

[emmie]

Up to 250,000 women in Britain were coerced into handing over their babies because they were unmarried.

Many of the women never had more children and say the loss caused them to lead a lifetime of grief.

They want the UK to follow Australia, which in 2013 was the first country to apologise for forced adoptions.

'A lifelong legacy of pain and suffering'

[barry1010]

And young pregnant women are still looked down on by some in the UK. Considered to be benefit scroungers, only got pregnant for a free council house and to dodge getting a job, bit of a slapper....
And some younger people can be just as judgemental as the older generation.

I don't know why you are shocked by this, emmie. I was aware of these mother and baby homes even as a teen - I was well aware of what went on and society's attitude to single mothers and babies born out of wedlock.

[emmie]

i knew of them Barry, not how many were affected, upwards of half a million if one link is to be believed, that's shocking.

[10ClarionSt]

Emmie, I knew someone who had a baby in 1942 and was forced to hand him over into child care. As far as I know, she never saw him again but I would say she was one of those who you describe in your post at 08.29.

On wider note, I don't think the state had much consideration for the welfare of children back in those times, even though they will say they did. You only have to look at the Lost Children of The Empire, or Oranges and Sunshine, to get some idea.

Tony Blair did apologise, in 1999 I believe, for the issues raised in Oranges and Sunshine, but the Child Migrants' Trust is still, to this day, trying to re-unite families.

[emmie]

i wonder how many knew they were adopted.. some may have had that information kept from them till late in life, or not at all, for some it was too late perhaps to trace the birth mother.

[bhg481]

I think the people who were affected most were the mothers who were forced to give up their babies for adoption and I blame their parents for that. I think most of the babies did have a better life with their adopted parents than they might have had; certainly all the ones I know (including myself) had a good upbringing, taken in by a family who really wanted children.

[emmie]

but many were just young girls, 16, 17, 18 years of age, the parents of the young girls should have stood by them, but as been said it was a different time and the values that were held aren't prevalent so much today.

[10ClarionSt]

bhg, there were good results for some children, but others were treated appallingly, although in fairness, these were not new born children. Not that we are aware of yet.

[barry1010]

Don't see why the government of the day shoud apologise for the misguided morals and social mores of the recent past. It was a reflection of society as a whole, not just the government.

Instead we should be celebrating the huge changes that have happened relatively quickly and be thankful that more people can live their lives without judgement, without breaking the law (abortion, contraception, homosexuality etc) and be accepted. That is a lot to cheer about

[emmie]

perhaps its not down to the government to apologise, but there is an inquiry underway, perhaps for some that is all they need, i honestly don't think compensation is at the heart of this.

[emmie]

most taken away were done when the mother gave birth, they weren't allowed any contact with the child from then on.