‘We were made to scrub floors’: Survivors speak out as Church of England plans apology for forced adoptions

The Church of England is set to issue a formal apology for its role in historical forced adoptions, where thousands of babies were taken from unmarried mothers in the decades following World War II. The church operated around 100 mother and baby homes across England, where unmarried pregnant women were sent to give birth in secret. Many of these babies were later adopted by married couples, sometimes after donations to “moral welfare” organisations linked to the church.

Painful memories of survivors

Survivors and campaigners have welcomed the Church’s move but stressed the need for sincerity and transparency. One survivor, Jan Doyle, was sent to a Kent home at age 16 in 1963. Recalling the harsh conditions, she told BBC News, “If the floors needed washing, we would have to get down on our hands and knees, even though we were pregnant. I think I was down on my hands and knees the day before my son was born.” Her baby, David, was taken from her, and they were reunited only 63 years later.Phil Frampton, a survivor, said, “It will not be enough for the church to say they were guided by the morality of the time. The church and state were the principal supporters of forced adoptions and should compensate survivors.”Dr Michael Lambert of Lancaster University, who has researched the Church’s involvement, said, “An apology would mean a great deal to those affected. It could shift the narrative from one of shame to recognition of the harm caused on a systematic scale.”In an early draft obtained by the BBC, the Church said: “We acknowledge the lifelong impact of these experiences and the part the Church played in a system shaped by attitudes and behaviours that we now recognise as harmful. For the pain and trauma experienced – and still carried – by many women and children in Church-affiliated mother and baby homes, we are deeply sorry.”Parliament’s 2021 inquiry found that around 185,000 adoptions involved unmarried mothers in England and Wales between 1949 and 1973. While not all homes were run by the Church, some were run by the Catholic Church, the Salvation Army, and other welfare agencies, and the state funded many of them.The UK government has never formally apologised, though Children and Families Minister Josh MacAlister acknowledged last month that the state “had a role” in the forced adoption system and that a formal apology is “being actively considered.”The Church of England’s apology is significant because it acknowledges institutional responsibility for decades of forced separations, abuse, and trauma. It also adds pressure on the UK government to issue its own formal apology, following precedents set by the governments of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, as well as other religious organisations.