THEY never saw their babies after they were taken. They were lied to, tricked or coerced and many never had the chance to experience motherhood again.
Finally, they will hear an apology.
Tens of thousands of Victorian women will receive their first official acknowledgement of their suffering tomorrow when the state government apologises to parents and children separated by forced adoption.
At the centre of the event will be Williamstown choir The Willin Wimmin.
Musical director Jennifer Lund says the group shares a belief in social justice.
“The issue of forced adoption affected around 250,000 people across Australia. We have members of the choir who have been touched in some way by the issue of adoption.”
The official apology follows a Senate committee inquiry report tabled in February that revealed forced adoptions were widespread in Australia from the 1950s to ’70s.
The inquiry found the emotional damage caused by the practice, involving the state, religious organisations and hospitals, remains significant to this day. Ms Lund believes adding music to the day will promote a sense of unity among affected families.
“How do you find the words to express what these families have gone through? Hopefully we can add something to the day beyond words to convey and acknowledge the experiences many women have had.”
Jo Fraser, secretary of the support group, the Association of Relinquishing Mothers (ARMS) Victoria, wants the apology to be a first step on the path to redressing decades of harm.
“We want the acknowledgement of what was done and what people have gone through.
“They totally destroyed the trust we had in them. They used their powers to basically have baby factories.”
Ms Fraser says many mothers were told their babies had died in childbirth, only to find out 30 years later that they had been lied to.
“People would get a letter or a knock on the door from their supposedly dead child. These were mothers who were never allowed to even hold their babies.”
ARMS is seeking practical support in the form of affordable counselling for mothers and the children harmed by forced adoption.
“You can’t put a price on a baby. But we need access to counselling by people who know something about adoption.” Ms Fraser says many mothers never stopped grieving and almost half never had more children. A number committed suicide. “You don’t know what happened. They were taken away and you never found out so you could never get through to acceptance.” The apology will be delivered in State Parliament from 11.30am tomorrow.
More details: Go to ARMS at armsvic.org.au or phone 9769 0232
