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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47 Articles
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For decades in England and Wales, girls and women have been put under pressure to release their children for adoption
Archbishop Apologizes for Church of England’s Role in Forced Adoption of 185,000 Children
The Church of England has apologized for its part in the historical forced adoption of tens of thousands of children in the years following World War II. Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally said in a June 18 statement on behalf of the church that it was “profoundly sorry for the pain, trauma and stigma experienced—and still carried—by many people because of historical adoption practices in homes affiliated to the Church of England.” In the p…
The Church’s apology to mothers and children affected by historical forced adoptions is a first step
The Church of England’s long-awaited apology to mothers and children affected by historical forced adoptions is to be welcomed. As campaigners say, this a “first step on a long road to redemption”.
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