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Dutch and U.K. Governments Apologize for Their Roles in Forced Adoptions
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- The Dutch and British governments issued formal apologies for their roles in forcing thousands of women and girls to give up babies for adoption between 1956 and 1984.
- The Dutch apology followed a government-commissioned report detailing the significant and lasting harm caused to an estimated 13,000 to 14,000 mothers and over 15,000 children.
- Claudia van Bruggen, Dutch state secretary for justice, apologized on behalf of the government, acknowledging the failure to support vulnerable unmarried pregnant women pressured to relinquish their children.
- The report highlighted societal stigma against out-of-wedlock pregnancies and the involvement of parents, doctors, social workers, and psychiatrists in pressuring women to give up their babies.
- Adoption was legalized in the Netherlands in 1956, marking the beginning of this practice that affected thousands over nearly three decades.
