Written by Marion Scott, Chief Reporter at Scotland’s national newspaper The Sunday Post, May 30, 2021.
A mum who lost her firstborn to forced adoption is using her dying wish to beg for a government apology.
Marion McMillan, 71, has been asking the Scottish Government for six years to make the official apology for the abuses of the past which saw about 60,000 single mums being forced to hand over their babies for adoption.
While the UK Government Human Rights Joint Committee has now agreed to hear the mothers’ stories, campaigners are asking why Scottish ministers find it too hard to say “sorry”. …
… continue reading the full paper on The Sunday Post.
Related Tweets
Can you imagine any other group of horribly wronged people having an apology denied ‘Sympathy but can’t undo the past.’
Scandalous historical treatment of single mothers in the UK, forced adoption, refusal of pain relief to teach them a lesson. https://t.co/KPoPbAuL0C#JustWomen
— Andrea ‘Tired’ Paterson (@WorldOfOrdinary) May 25, 2021
"I felt so humiliated, no dignity no rights, no anything, and I was 17 – so I just, I just was forced to go along with this practice"
Former MP Ann Keen joins calls for apology over forced adoptions https://t.co/RaLOOTTAaG
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) May 26, 2021
Perhaps also apologise to the children. “Hundreds of UK women demand formal apology for forced adoptions”https://t.co/ZxrD6XWdAR
— Prof Lauren Devine 🕷 #FBPE (@DrLaurenDevine) May 26, 2021
Forced adoptions to be investigated by Parliament https://t.co/YF3OAh24jA
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) May 27, 2021
Mum who lost her firstborn to forced adoption begs for a government apology as her dying wish https://t.co/H4nGKl5Xuq pic.twitter.com/bjIQAOG16O
— The Sunday Post (@Sunday_Post) May 30, 2021
BBC News Channel – If You Love Your Baby… The Story of Forced Adoptions https://t.co/UseXR43R7d
— Chris Waddell (@Count_Christoph) May 30, 2021
The UK’s 20th century forced adoption scandal was state-sanctioned abusehttps://t.co/a9rq7P391j
What often happens in the family courts to children who have domestically abusive fathers is also state-sanctioned abuse, right now in the 21st century
— Emma Katz (@DrEmmaKatz) June 1, 2021
Grateful to MSPs who have signed my motion on historic forced adoption. It seeks an apology from the UK and Scottish Government, similar to approach taken in Australia which led to dedicated support and counselling.
Cross-party support is needed to secure a @ScotParl debate. 👇 pic.twitter.com/QkZ4ZkPrqw
— Monica Lennon MSP (@MonicaLennon7) June 2, 2021
.@NeilBibby asks if @scotgov will consider a formal apology to historic victims of forced adoption@NicolaSturgeon says government is examining this and that it is important to understand how a formal apology should be framed and delivered#FMQs live: https://t.co/p35NzRNxtz pic.twitter.com/N1Iz7TECKV
— BBC Scotland News (@BBCScotlandNews) June 3, 2021
And a DES word from Marion Scott, Investigative Journalist
Marion Scott image courteasy of democratonline, 2020.I know many of those mums were given DES to suppress their breast milk and very little awareness has been raised on the effect this may have had on them and their future children.
I’m hoping to reach out to see if anyone is aware of this, and is willing to share info or an experience so we can shine a light on what was done to so many women and children, and the lasting effect.
My email is here and I’d very much like to hear from anyone if they can help give voice to this.
DES DiEthylStilbestrol Resources
- DES studies (listed by topics and dates).
- DES videos playlist on our YT channel.