Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given a formal state apology regarding the systemic separation of unmarried mothers from their children in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976.

首相基爾·斯塔默針對 1949 年至 1976 年間，英格蘭與威爾斯系統性地將未婚母親與子女分離一事，代表國家正式道歉。

The system of forced adoption was based on a strong social stigma against women who became pregnant outside of marriage. It is estimated that 185,000 babies were taken from their biological mothers during this time. This process was managed through a partnership between local authorities, health services, and religious institutions, which often ran 'mother and baby homes.' Evidence from parliamentary reports emphasized that some mothers faced coercive tactics, such as psychological pressure and the refusal of pain relief during childbirth, to force them to give up their children.

強迫領養制度是基於當時社會對未婚懷孕女性的強烈汙名化。據估計，在此期間約有 18 萬 5 千名嬰兒被強行從親生母親身邊帶走。此過程是由地方當局、醫療服務與宗教機構共同管理，而後者通常經營著「母嬰之家」。議會報告的證據強調，部分母親面臨脅迫手段，例如心理壓力以及在分娩時被拒絕提供止痛藥，以強迫她們放棄孩子。

Official views on this issue have changed significantly in recent years. In 2022, the Joint Committee on Human Rights recommended a formal apology, stating that the state was responsible for the suffering caused. Although the previous Conservative government expressed regret in 2023, they refused to offer a formal state apology because they claimed the state did not actively support these practices. However, the current government has reversed this decision, describing the era as a 'stain' on national history and admitting that the state funded and legalized the systems that allowed these abuses to happen.

官方對此問題的看法在近年有顯著改變。2022 年，人權聯合委員會建議正式道歉，指出國家應為所造成的痛苦負責。雖然之前的保守黨政府在 2023 年表達遺憾，但他們拒絕正式道歉，因為他們聲稱國家並未主動支持這些做法。然而，現任政府推翻了這一決定，將該時代描述為國家歷史上的「污點」，並承認國家資助並合法化了允許這些虐待行為發生的制度。

This move follows a wider trend of institutions admitting their mistakes. For example, the Church of England has apologized for its role, and the governments of Scotland and Wales did the same three years ago. Similarly, Australia and Ireland have dealt with their own histories of forced adoption. In Northern Ireland, a formal apology is expected soon after a public inquiry into mother-and-baby homes is completed.

此舉遵循了機構承認錯誤的更廣泛趨勢。例如，英格蘭教會已為其扮演的角色道歉，蘇格蘭與威爾斯政府三年前也採取了同樣行動。同樣地，澳洲與愛爾蘭也處理了各自歷史上的強迫領養問題。在北愛爾蘭，預計在母嬰之家的公開調查完成後，很快將會進行正式道歉。

The British government has now officially admitted its role in historical forced adoptions and has started a financial support package to help survivors.

英國政府現在已正式承認其在歷史強迫領養事件中扮演的角色，並啟動了財務支援方案以幫助倖存者。