Family Forum / Parenting / Adoption / April 2008

MS,

There is a new book that Ann Fessler just recently had published, "The
Girls Who Went Away...it acutally has about 10 stoiries of the girls
who were forced into surrrending, by social wreckers. Some of them
resided in Maternity "homes" prisons, which still exiist today, and if
Bush (Preidente) has his way they will exist again, and there will be
plenty of babies, taken from their mothers.

This era is called the Baby Scoop Era, and it is just starting to get
some acknowledgement, as far as how it happened, thanks to Ann, an
adoptee, I might add.
Of course, our government would not acknowledge anything like that,,,as
it could lead to the truths of what was done...we mothers are speaking
out, reuniting, and finding our families,,

yts

ps Ann is on a Book tour presently, and will be making a movie,,she has
done an art exhibit too, called Everlasting, a beautiful appropriate
name,,,,

Umm... Telewest-hsd_2-Harringey, I assume you're in the London or Home
Counties area pleanty of recourses there, if you felt like doing your own
research.

When you say "research" do you mean Journalistic research, scientific
research or do you just mean you are interested in the subject as casual
observer?

The "force" in England & Wales (do try to remember there is no UK wide law
or policy on adoption and never has been) came mainly from the moral climate
and economic circumstance. I'm sure it must have been similar in other UK
jurisdictions. The was no formal adoption in England & Wales until 1927
Scotland 1931.

Also each local authority and each of the government authorised adoption
agencies had its own day to day policy. There was no more uniformity of
policy in the UK any more than there was in the USA.

Please also remember that there are "political" interests on both sides of
this debate in the UK just as much as in the USA, the truth is very
difficult to get at from both sides here. Do beware of purely propagandist
groups that claim to be "Research Foundations" there is no academic research
foundation on past practice in adoption in the UK. There are organizations
that make all manner wild claims do beware. Try the universities that have
research departments doing research in this area Warwick and UEA would be
good starting points. The evidence to committees looking in to Adoption and
Children Bills over the last ten years would be another. Try the indexes to
Hansard on the Parliament website. Earlier stuff from the Houghton Report
and previous government reports is enlightening (sometimes needs a grain of
salt. Local authority records and other records from County Record Offices.
If you are a bona fide researcher (not one of those from the bogus "research
foundation") then the old children charities might give you access to some
of their archives. The London Metropolitan Archive is good but again you'll
need to be a bona fide researcher or student at a recognised university.
Probably the nearest you're going to get to unbiased access now is if you
can persuade a large pool of those who have obtained their records to let
you see them. Of course those have to be looked at in historical context
(and again taken with the occasional grain of salt).

There was poor and I would think illegal adoption practice after the 1948
Children Act / 1949 Adoption of Children Act. I am one of those who would
like to see an official enquiry in to that in England & Wales but how wide
spread it was I do not know. I do know that adoption served some people
well, do beware of those whose whole view is based on their own suffering,
that is not a good basis for serious research, academic or for any other
purpose.

Robin Harritt

http://harritt.net

*

hi I am a uk mother thats children were forced adoptions. three boys. I have
the following blog which might help in what you are looking for? its
http://brokenfootprints.blogspot.com/
best wishes,
brokenfootprints