Adoptees prepare to protest

BBC South East News, 14 July 2025 Ahead of a protest at Westminster, BBC News covers the topic of forced adoption and the long-term effects on adoptees. Hundreds of campaigners will gather outside Parliament on Wednesday 16 July from 13:00 -14:30, calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to issue an immediate formal apology for the historic injustices of forced adoptions, followed by delivery of a petition to 10 Downing Street at 15:30. Over 215,000 women, who were forced to give up their babies between 1949 and 1976 want a formal acknowledgment of their suffering, as do the children who were adopted. The UK government has yet to respond to the findings of the 2022 Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), which underscores the urgent need for an apology for historical adoption practices. Many women affected by forced adoption are now elderly, facing the inevitable decline of health and mortality without the recognition and closure that an apology would bring. The cumulative trauma continues to impact their lives, with many unable to find peace or validation. The Movement for an Adoption Apology (MAA) highlights a critical need for access to personal records for mothers and adoptees, as well as the protection of these records from loss or destruction. Recent research indicates alarming suicide rates among first mothers and adult adoptees, revealing the urgent necessity for intervention and support services (3). Author and campaigner, Karen Constantine, who was in a mother and baby home in 1978, aged 15, said: “We won’t be silenced or sidelined any longer. It’s time for the Labour Government to uphold the findings of the 2022 JCHR inquiry and engage in meaningful dialogue.” Karen Constantine has written the book 'TAKEN: Experiences of Forced Adoption', available via https://prampublications.com