Australian National Apology for Forced Adoptions (birth, parents, stories, children)

[Artful Dodger]

National Apology for Forced Adoptions | Prime Minister of Australia

Today, this Parliament, on behalf of the Australian people, takes responsibility and apologises for the policies and practices that forced the separation of mothers from their babies, which created a lifelong legacy of pain and suffering.

Australia convened a Senate Inquiry into the adoption practices during the era (known in the USA as the BSE (approx 1947-1973)). I read some of the submitted testimonies. Many of the religious entities have already publicly apologised in Australia and individual states have as well. Many of the same practices also happened in the US, Canada, Ireland, UK, Spain, New Zealand, etc, but in Australia they have admitted it happened and the harm it caused many.

I hope people will take the time to read the apology. Recognition of a wrong done is healing to some and I hope it helps those in Australia.

[thethreefoldme]

I'm so glad to see the apology is as all-encompassing as it is. I hope in time the recognition helps heal those impacted by adoption & that other countries follow suit recognizing the harm that has been done.

For decades, young mothers grew old haunted by loss. Silently grieving in our suburbs and towns. And somewhere, perhaps even close by, their children grew up denied the bond that was their birth-right.
Instead they lived with self-doubt and an uncertain identity. The feeling, as one child of forced adoption put it, ‘that part of me is missing’

Some suffered sexual abuse at the hands of their adoptive parents or in state institutions...

For so many children of forced adoption, the scars remain in adult life.

Many others identified the paralysing effect of self-doubt and a fear of abandonment: It has held me back, stopped me growing and ensured that I have lived a life frozen

I heard similar stories of disconnection and loss from Leigh Hubbard and Paul Howes today.

The challenges of reconnecting with family. The struggles with self-identity and self-esteem. The difficulties with accessing records. Challenges that even the highest levels of professional success have not been able to assuage or heal.

It means a lot to see these realities finally validated & publicly acknowledged for adoptees. Hopefully society will not continue to marginalize any of our experiences & such apologies will help reduce prejudice for those who do speak out.