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Church of England apologises for role in forced adoptions
The church said research found about 100 homes and 185,000 children affected, and the government is expected to issue its own apology.
- On Thursday, Archbishop Sarah Mullally apologized for the Church of England's role in historical forced adoptions, acknowledging roughly 185,000 children were taken from unmarried mothers between 1949 and 1976.
- Research revealed the Church operated or was responsible for about 100 mother and baby homes, where women were often forced to perform menial labor as a form of "correction" for having children out of wedlock.
- Staff often ignored guidance meant to protect mothers, instead using dehumanizing language describing them as "dim, feckless inadequate" while allowing prejudice regarding race and disability to shape outcomes.
- The Adult Adoptee Movement, representing forcibly separated children, branded the statement "not a meaningful apology," arguing it lacks admission of wrongdoing and recognition of specific harms caused to survivors.
- By late 2026, the Church expects to open a redress scheme offering up to £660,000 in rare cases, while the Prime Minister plans to issue a full state apology in the Commons in coming weeks.
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Apology for the Church of England's role in historic cases of forced adoption between the 1950s and 1970s
·Belgrade, Serbia
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Church of England apologizes for its role in decades of forced adoptions
The Church of England apologized Thursday for its role in forced adoptions as recent as the mid-1970s, acknowledging the painful experiences of many unmarried women at so-called mother and baby homes in the United Kingdom that were affiliated with the church.
·Canada
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources36
Leaning Left14Leaning Right5Center9Last UpdatedBias Distribution50% Left
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Left
50% Left
L 50%
C 32%
R 18%
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