'Historical forced adoptions are our shame to bear'

The first female bishop to lead the Church of England in Suffolk says hearing about the experiences of women who were forced to put their babies up for adoption because they were not married made her "weep".

Between 1949 and 1976, the Anglican church helped run, or was responsible for, about 100 mother and baby homes across England where women were sent to give birth.

Thousands of mothers were pressured into giving up their babies, which the Church has since apologised for.

The Right Reverend Dr Joanne Grenfell, the Bishop of St Edmundsbury & Ipswich, said the way young women were treated was "so very wrong" and the forced adoptions were "our shame to bear".

"Reading the accounts of women, who were lonely, vulnerable and had nowhere to turn, brought home to me their incredible loneliness," said Grenfell.

"We know in many cases some care was given. But we also know that some of the attitudes that were shown were cruel and harsh and even punitive at times.

"It seems to me so very wrong that people were treated without the dignity and care and compassion that they deserved. When I listen to the people who have had those experiences, it makes me weep."

The bishop is the chairwoman of the Church of England's working group on historical adoption practices and has been working closely with the Archbishop of Canterbury.

She acknowledged the Church "partly shaped social attitudes" that contributed to the "cruel" view of unmarried women with babies, but said it was also "shaped by them".

"This is our shame to bear. We need to hear those with lived experience, look at what we got wrong, say sorry, and pledge to do better," Grenfell added.

"One of the things I've heard has been the ongoing sense of shame, of loss of identity and loss of dignity that their experiences entailed."

Grenfell's acknowledgment of the Church's role in forced adoptions came after the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dame Sarah Mullally, issued an apology.

"We know that many women and girls were at times made to carry out menial and manual work as a form of 'correction'," said Mullally.

"We also recognise where prejudice - including on the grounds of race and disability - shaped and defined experiences and outcomes.

"We are profoundly sorry for the pain, trauma and stigma experienced - and still carried - by many people. We are deeply ashamed."

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