The Scottish and UK governments are facing calls to compensate the victims of forced adoption following Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's formal apology to those affected in England and Wales.
Lawyer demands financial help and support
Patrick McGuire, a senior partner with Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, who represents some of the victims in Scotland, said financial help and specialist support must be made available to mothers who were forced to give up their babies. He welcomed Sir Keir's apology on Thursday but stressed that ministers must now go further by introducing compensation and long-term support.
“It is to be welcomed that the Prime Minister is today apologising to victims of forced adoption in England and Wales following the example of the Scottish Government from three years ago,” McGuire said. “But fine words from both governments is no substitute for fast and effective action. We need to see proper help and support put in place for victims, along the lines of provisions that were put in place for those affected by infected blood. That means a proper scheme for medical and psychological support and a proper financial compensation scheme.”
Campaigner describes lifelong trauma
Campaigner Marion McMillan, who lost her first-born son to forced adoption when she was 17, described how unmarried mothers were systematically coerced into giving up their children. Speaking on BBC’s Radio Scotland Breakfast programme, she said: “You’ve got to cast your mind back to that era in the history of adoption. We were forced.”
McMillan said the women were given no meaningful choice and were subjected to extreme pressure. She accused authorities of “relentless brainwashing” and called the scandal Scotland’s “hidden history”. “We were like lambs to the slaughter. We had no voice, and we just did as we were told,” she said. She described the lifelong psychological impact: “The trauma is there constantly. You feel utterly worthless and you’re absolutely broken.”
Although she said the Scottish Government’s apology in 2023 had been significant, she stressed many victims still lack access to specialist support. “For the first time in my life, I heard somebody saying they were sorry for what happened,” she said of the apology delivered by then first minister Nicola Sturgeon. But she said there are still many men and women in need of psychological support.
Starmer’s apology in Parliament
On Thursday, Sir Keir apologised in the House of Commons on behalf of the UK Government, describing the forced adoption of babies from unmarried mothers as “a stain on our history”. He said “tens of thousands of mothers, children and families” had been failed by systems across local authorities, faith organisations and health services. Mothers had been “coerced, bullied, or misled into feeling that they had no choice” but to give up their children. He told victims: “The shame was never yours, the shame is ours.”
While the Scottish Government and Welsh Government issued formal apologies in 2023, Thursday marked the first official apology by the Westminster Government. It is estimated around 60,000 unmarried women in Scotland were forced to give up their babies for adoption in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Around 185,000 babies of unmarried mothers were adopted in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976.
Next steps
The Scottish and UK governments have been approached for comment on compensation demands.
