Nicola Sturgeon gives 'heartfelt' apology to mums forced into adoption

It is estimated that around 250,000 families in Scotland have been affected by the historical practice which Sturgeon described as a "living nightmare" for unmarried mothers.

An emotional Sturgeon - who was fighting back tears - not only used her apology to say sorry to mothers forced to separate from their children, but also to the children themselves who have been profoundly impacted.

The FM additionally apologised to fathers “who too lost a child and had their rights denied”, with many mothers not even allowed to put the fathers’ name on their child’s birth certificate.

She told the Holyrood chamber: “As First Minister, on behalf of the Scottish Government, I say directly, to the mothers who had their babies taken away from them, to the sons and daughters who were separated from their parents, to the fathers who were denied their rights, and to the families that have lived with the legacy, for the decades of pain that you have suffered, I offer today a sincere, heartfelt and unreserved apology. We are sorry.

“No words can ever make up for what has happened to you, but I hope this apology will bring you some measure of solace. It is the very least you deserve and it is long overdue.”

Forced adoption practices were caused by a society that treated women as “second class citizens”, Sturgeon said.

The First Minister detailed the stories of three women who had their babies taken away to be adopted by other families.

These included campaigner Marion McMillan who fell pregnant as a teenager in Stranraer. She was sent to a "mother and baby home" in the north of England said she remembered crying and begging them not to take her son. 

“The horror of what happened to these women is almost impossible to comprehend,” Sturgeon said.

“It is the stuff of nightmares, yet these were not isolated cases – far from it.”

She said forced adoption was “relatively common” in Scotland until the late 1970s and insisted mothers were “lied to” and made to “feel worthless”.

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She outlined how some children forcibly removed from their parents as a result of forced abortion were abused, but did stress this was not always the case.

The FM added: “It is important to say very clearly that many of them went to loving homes – acknowledging these injustices should never be seen as a rejection of the deep bonds that people share with adopted families.

“Nothing can ever invalidate the love that these families have for one another. But it is also clear that many of those affected – far too many – had a very, very different experience.

“We know some will always have lacked a sense of belonging, some may have suffered mistreatment or abuse."

Sturgeon highlighted how mothers were forced or coerced into the adoption process while many, until the early 1970s, were given stilbestrol - a drug used to dry up their breast milk. 

Others were denied healthcare they needed and suffered physical mistreatment or abuse.

She added: "For these mothers, it was a living nightmare, a nightmare from which they’ve never truly been able to wake. The grief, heartbreak and shame has been a constant throughout their lives.

"It has affected their relationships and for many it has created series mental health impacts that persist to this day."

The apology in Scotland follows others around the world.

In 2013, the Australian governemnt issued the world's first formal apology for forced adoption.

Then in 2021, the Irish government apologised to former residents of mother and baby homes in Ireland for the way they were treated over several decades.

Fiona Aitken, Adoption UK Scotland director, welcomed the apology.

She said: “We’re gratified to see the First Minister acknowledge and formally apologise for the impact that forced adoption had on those involved. We wholeheartedly support the apology for those who had their children removed and are particularly pleased to see this extend to the individuals who were adopted through this practice, whose lifelong needs have gone unacknowledged and unsupported.

“Adoption UK now calls on other UK governments to follow Scotland's lead in issuing a formal apology to all those who have been affected by forced adoptions, and to meet the needs of all adopted individuals who would benefit from support.”