Apology for Forced Adoption

That this House recognises the great injustice, suffering and lifetime of pain caused to mothers and their children separated by forced adoption in the UK in the three decades after the Second World War, when young unmarried mothers were coerced into handing over their new-born children, and apologises for it; recognises that it is wrong to say that those mothers chose to give up their babies for adoption, when there was no choice and they were actively pressured to do so by doctors, midwives and other professionals; deplores the shameful practices that denied those mothers their fundamental rights to love and care for their children; pays tribute to the tireless campaign for justice by the Movement for an Adoption Apology; acknowledges that the State and those acting on its behalf allowed or encouraged abuses of adoption practices; unconditionally apologises for the policies and practices that allowed this injustice to occur and for the pain that was caused; calls on the Government to issue an unconditional and comprehensive apology to all those affected and to endorse their demand for recognition and justice; calls on the Government to ensure all those affected receive the help and support they need, including specialist counselling services; and further calls on the Government to establish an inquiry so that the full truth can be told and this grave injustice can be fully recognised and understood.