The Church of England issued an apology on Thursday for its involvement in forced adoptions that took place until the mid-1970s. The church recognized the suffering of many unmarried women who resided in mother and baby homes in the UK linked to the church.
Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, the first female leader of the church and the spiritual head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, offered the apology alongside the release of a report detailing conditions at the homes between 1949 and 1976. The report revealed that numerous women and girls were compelled to perform menial tasks as a form of punishment for having children out of wedlock, with their babies sometimes being treated as commodities for adoption purposes.
Mullally expressed deep regret for the pain, trauma, and stigma that numerous individuals endured due to historical adoption practices in church-affiliated homes. She acknowledged the accounts of mothers who were separated from their babies in situations where they had limited choices.
The report covered a period during which approximately 185,000 children born to unmarried mothers were placed for adoption in England and Wales. This era was marked by a culture of shame, secrecy, and stigma surrounding unmarried mothers and their children, despite evolving attitudes towards sex and marriage.
Although church policies underscored the rights of unmarried women to retain their children and the children’s right to stay with their mothers, researchers discovered that staff often disregarded these directives and collaborated closely with adoption agencies. The church also admitted instances where bias based on race and disability influenced experiences and outcomes.
The report highlighted that the church’s guidance coexisted with language reflecting dehumanizing and dismissive attitudes, which fell short of the expected care standards for vulnerable individuals under the church’s supervision.
