Campaigners and MPs have warned that time is running out for the UK government to issue a formal apology to the women who were forced to give up their babies for adoption during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

It is estimated that around 185,000 women were affected, many of whom are now in their seventies and eighties, and some have died without receiving a state apology.

The Movement for an Adoption Apology (MAA), led by figures such as Karen Constantine, has called for an official acknowledgement of the practice, arguing that such an apology would help alleviate decades of pain experienced by those involved.

The MAA noted that discussions with senior Labour politicians prior to the last general election had raised hopes that a formal apology would be issued if the party assumed power.

However, despite strong cross-party support, no apology has been forthcoming.

MPs and peers, including Lord Alton, Helena Kennedy, and Harriet Harman, have expressed disappointment over the lack of progress, with some urging the government to take responsibility for the lasting harm inflicted on vulnerable women and children.

A Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry in 2021 concluded that the government was ultimately responsible for actions that caused significant harm, recommending that an official apology be issued to help mitigate the pain suffered.

In a response to the issue, the children’s and families minister Janet Daby stated that the government considers the practice abhorrent and is engaging with those affected to provide support and assess further measures.

This stands in contrast to formal apologies already issued by the Scottish and Welsh governments in 2023, and expressions of regret by church bodies such as the Catholic Church and the Church of England, which operated mother and baby homes and adoption agencies until the 1970s.

During that period, unmarried pregnant women were sent to these institutions without being informed of their right to keep their children or access welfare support, with adoption reaching a peak in 1968 when more than 16,000 babies were placed with new families.

Academic Michael Lambert of Lancaster University, who has researched forced adoptions, noted that archival material and testimonials provide substantial evidence of the harm caused by the practice, and that the government opted to subsidise the services of these homes rather than take them over during the creation of the welfare state.

In addition to a formal apology, the MAA is calling for government funding for support services and full access to historical records related to forced adoptions.