Senate inquiry into forced adoptions found barbaric, horrific abuses

Well said Emma & Rob, I wish I could write like you.
It's all true.
It's very hard not to feel depressed when bad things have or are happening to good people.
I think Julian Assange deserves the Nobel Prize, one big apology from Australian PM and justice. Hell he's been through a horror show, let him off the hook; he's an Australian citizen who now immediately needs our compassion not scapegoating or martying.

I wouldn't get the two entwined as one is hopefully not happening again today. That's forced adoptions.
Yet who knows??? It's hard to trust when there's so much that is untrustable about our governments and certain multi nationals.

I think the mums affected by forced adoptions need letting off the hook also.
This includes a genuine apology, justice, professional counsel so they can heal, and no repeats of this tragic history. It's not enough to have an iquiry and an apology. Lives were shattered some irrepairably. Give these mums a break.
Thanks
Trish
Health

Best wishes to all traumatised by forced adoptions.
You have my respect and all my best for your futures.
Grant Moss

I like the comments here about different social injustices.
My comment is clearly People in Power want to destroy people on thr right side, by this I mean people who are trying to do the right thing by themselves and all others.
Because they the power hungry and haves don't like to see what's right.
These "OUT of CONTROL" power brokers like to oppose what's right.
Take the Salvos. with forced adoptions and other things exposed about their hateful acts.
Take the Corporations that destroy lives, and want to destroy someone's whose doing the very right thing regards Assange.
Take the government with the NT intervention and all that racial hatred gone OUT of CONTROL by power brokers.

What we all have to do is stick to our guns and be firm, no backing down on the people we all know are trying to and have done and continue to do the right thing by and for themselves/ourselves and our fellow man.
That's were the hope lies with Forced Adoptions injustices getting more than menial and the sad sorrys.
That's where Julian stands a very good chance.

We're all in this together and the nos.of power brokers who are out of control is too small to knock the convictions out of those of us who are trying to do the right thing.
We will not be opposed by "destroyers". They're mad out of control and now have to be reined in, and given a big shake.

Thanks Indy
Like this space.
Audrey

The comments about the differing social injustices are good.
What's wrong with all social injustices if the power abuse by those who've got completely out of it, out of the side of what's compassionate toward others and into destruction.
They don't care.
With forced adoptions there is too much media now for the governments as well as the corporations to say with any authority "this didn't happen".
I'm personally & porfessionally horrified with a lot of social in Australia.
We all have to speak up and out about what we see when it's done to anyone wrongly.
We can't be idly looking on doing nothing.
The deeds that are done for right are lasting and leave a permanent imprint that makes our society all the better.
The few who seem to wield power abuse over & again have lost their grip entirely.
That's why they are grasping at the very people who have and are doing their darndest to make this world a better place.
Good luck to forced adoptions targets, and stand up every time to any physical or ethical thug, you've got a lot of support today.
Robert

I know a few have taken action against this social injustice and thinking more should be outspoken about just what transpired under umbrella of "good for the child" and intolerable deceit and treachery for the young mothers. Shameful treatments.
Indymedia has some notes about Assange who also has parents who want him to have social justice, he has every right to this.

There have to be some kind of civilised Australia as I'm hearing about too many injustices that are disgraceful.
I stand up and do what I can to change what I can.

I've almost lost my child just not by government, church or corporate intervention though that memory helps me understand all too well what is a mothers dimmest fate, or memory.
The bullying that nearly caused the loss of my child who is grown is despicable.

I believe the people in power have gone over the edge into what amounts be vile and unconscionable.
They need to be stood to account because they are damaging to much in the name of "power".
Shame on them for they way they treated these mothers and babies.
Shame on them for the way they treated and still are the likes our our fellow citizen and hero of sorts Julian Assange.

It's almost strange we have a PM who hasn't ever known what it's like to parent or give birth.
Almost too rediculous.
How could she know anything about caring or sharing.
She got in by foul means that's enough for me to want to stand up and fight until there is more justice in Australia.

The Queen in England has made no comment about our Australian citizen Julian Assange.
That's something that should stop our ABC telling the public how 'lovely' the Queen of England is.
She could do something.

Nikola Roxon could and isn't, as yet.
The PM could be for once honest and be of her word and support Julian Assange.
He's somebody's son, he's our fellow man.

Both these people could have a lot more that tokenism and patronising toward the forced adoption mums.
The Inquiry was right, not good, because it was way way over due.

I stand up for and do what I can toward all social injustices I can give too.

This one is abominable as are all social wrongs.
The people who lay claim to be 'good' have to walk the talk and do RIGHT actions, bring Julian Assange safely home.
They also have to amend the victims of forced adoptions. None of this treating them as second class citizens this time around.

I'm always horrified when i hear of social wrongs that could be sorted out and nipped in the bud by the man in the street, all of us speaking out when bullying, corruption, chaos or any abuses happen.
I for one can't stand the liers who retreat and do nothing to save a persons life or livlihood.
I saved my childs life, I'll try to save whoever I can when the time arises.
I'm with a lot of hope despite the things I now know about social injustices in Australia.

Maureen Campbell

The fact the Law Reform instigated a right change in the wrong law that birth parents who lost to ANY adoptions, and of course Forced ones, could have rights, is very good, a positive.

We don't know what other laws will change however there are very fine lawyers and reformers taking notice of when laws are bad or wrong and re-forming these.

Best of luck with this forced adoptions that I understand as a disgusting baby scoop era.
Very good Lawyers saw to it to change the law re. available information, and access to reunions.
That's to their credit.
Changing laws doesn't always change public perceptions yet it's a viable start and may help those who were or are abused yesterday and today.

Amanda

If we're talking about several social injustices the law reform needed for one in this instance re. Assange is an overseas one.
There is that secretive way they are all handling that courageous and admired man.
That secretiveness is not just and all of us have a right to know what is happening and the real reasons why, not some set up because governments have been embarassed.

I've no doubt governments, especially the opposition, are quite embarassed about the way birth mothers have been treated in forced adoptions.
The NSW government has not given what is now expected of them, an apology.
They owe one.
The secretive nature of forced adoptions allowed them to touch so many lives and hurt, damage these lives.

Secrets lies cover ups and setting people up by putting them down in disgusting ways is not how we live in as several have said civilised society.

I'm outraged at the injustices that could be righted are not being given their law reforms.
Even other countries have an obligation to understand Assange is first and foremost an Australian citizen.
Even other countries have an obligation to understand no matter how much money they make from forced or otherwise adoptions this also is a very serious social injustice.

Law reforms have to be progressive and there's never a need to hurt or destroy anybody's life in the name of some embarassment at what has been publicly revealed.

Godspeed good fortune for Assange.
Godspeed good fortune for forced adoption families.

Adele
Fashion & Socially conscionable

News release by the SA Premier Jay Weatherill and Grace Portolesi, Minister for Education and Child Development

Wednesday, 18 July, 2012

APOLOGY IN PARLIAMENT FOR FORCED ADOPTION PRACTICES

Premier Jay Weatherill today will formally apologise in State Parliament to people whose lives were affected by past forced adoption practices.

It is estimated that more than 17,000 children in South Australia were adopted out before 1980 and some of these during that period involved forced adoption practices.
Today in a special sitting of Parliament, members of Parliament will acknowledge and apologise for the deep distress and hurt that the adoption practices of the past have caused many parents and their children.

“Our apology will recognise that those practices directly affected many of those parents whose children were adopted by force and many of those people who were separated from their parents as children,” Mr Weatherill said.

“This apology is long overdue, but we hope it will be a significant moment for those affected.”

When Mr Weatherill announced that he would commit to making this apology in Parliament, he asked Education and Child Development Minister Grace Portolesi to seek views from people affected by forced adoption to help us draft the apology.

“Many parents and adults who were adopted as children shared their personal histories with us, generously allowing us to understand the pain of their loss and their ongoing grief,” Ms Portolesi said.

“To acknowledge the lasting impact of adoptions of all kinds, the Government continues to fund a dedicated Post Adoption Support Service operated by Relationships Australia, South Australia.

“This is a free service for people affected by adoptions and plays an important role in supporting people affected by their adoption experience,” Ms Portolesi said.
The apology is consistent with a recommendation made by the Commonwealth Government Senate Committee report, The Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced Adoption Policy and Practices, which was released in February this year.

The apology will occur at 11.00am at Parliament House on North Terrace, and will be streamed live on a dedicated website: www.saapology.sa.gov.au

News Release
www.premier.sa.gov.au

The South Australian apology not only identifies and acknowledges the horrific policies, practices and numbers of forced adoptions they're going to apologise on the 18th July. That's not a national public apology by a long shot.
Two Ministers are giving this apology, one specific to Children and Education portfolio. The parents are who my colleagues and I are concerned about as well as the children.
I think it's fair to say we all want apologies from the Commonwealth government, as well as apologies from all the State and Territory governments.
NSW has one of the highest per capita Forced Adoptions disgusting reputation.
It's past time NSW government made a formal public and genuine apology. It's past time they all did.
Befoe we go it's about time this injustice that was very widespread was given more than apologies.
Australian politicians have been known to apologise then keep doing the same wrong things over and over again. This has to stop or they'll lose more than votes.
Citizens of Australia: Douglas and Rebecca

For South Australia this is good and yet no apology is enough.
The big heading made on Indymedia me laugh as if the government deserves bigger headings than the citizens of Australia, we're all equal.
It's very late for an apology and it may acknowledge the tragedies of forced adoptions in South Australia though not Australia wide.
If the Premier and the other parliamentarian are saying a 'sorry' like the women beaters who keep on behaving badly even after they've come out of their drunken fog forget it.
Australians are disaffected by the Australian governments handling of too many injustices. Forced adoptions has made me reexamine politics, and as the Dalai Lama said it's a dirty business.
When any state or federal gov. apologises they have to stand by that apology with tangible humane and constructive amends as well.
My best goes to the mums and their children lost in that terrible practice.
Brian

I was born from a forced adoption, my mother a very loving and beautiful young unwed sixteen year old. We've had a very difficult time trying to reunite in any meaningful way.
When my parents realised the birth parents could make contact they moved to another state in Australia and took my sister and I (both adopted) with them.
I think there's something radically wrong when there are no nationally regulated laws or governing policies in regards to something as major as adoption of babies or children.
I want to see my birth mother with recompense as what I now know about coercion in this scale has made me an aware and socially conscious active adult finally, it's been a very painful way to become one.
Thankyou
Lea

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Weekend has news spread named MISSING YEARS.
The journalist Fiona Harari starts with a strikingly wrong fact that these forced adoptions were only in the 1950's & 1960's, when everyone in the know understands they were going on well into the 1970's and into the early 1980's.
We have no data at present to allow us to know if they are practiced in 2012?
The news spread is with some compassion for those who felt they had to be secretive and for the facts of the women Fiona Harari has investigated.
They are not factual for all as every forced adoption was individual.

The second paragraph starts with "Like so many other motehrs ...." that's not how you write about forced adoptions and the unique tragdey of each and every one of them. They were happening to far too many unwed adolescents who trusted the untrustworthy and all the same, were not all the same for each individual mother.
We understand we're all part of collectives many of us many, however portraying the mums as of one kind is always lying and denying them their individuality.
(Except those interviewed).

Stories thay lay bare the emotions of traumatised can accomplish a great deal of public awareness, and there's some in this news, but it leaves out a lot and the blue lettering lays bare wrong, it was still on in the 70's and early 80's.
We don't know if it happens today in Australia.
Too many institutions and churchs, governments and welfare agencies are being too quiet.

It's got a specific bent this news, for this I think Fiona Harari might like to get the facts clear and right rather than distorted, made out to be all about one kind of young woman. Forced adoptions was about many different adolescents.

What's good about the article on pages 18 - 23 July 21st Good Weekend Sydney Morning Herlad is forced adoptions has been raised somewhat further.
However, let's get all the facts straight and not make out like all the mums were secretive and all the mums lost in the 50's and 60's because these are lies.
Forced adoptions affected lots of mums after the 50's and 60's; I've met quite a few who are still traumatised also.

Yours
Marion
(Health Professional)

To all the teenagers out there I'm just like you in that one way.
I've read recently Lynn Barber's An Education book.
One thing I thought about was the pain and how that teenager somehow found her 'way out' because she had parental support and teacher support.
You guys had none of this in forced adoptions.
That's tragedy.
The other thing I thought about was what if Lynn Barber (as it was a true story she wrote) became preggers. It would have been a very different book, and no such happy ending I don't doubt.
Not that forced adoption was in Lynn Barbers life, thank god for her.
The heartbreak about forced adoptions with teenage mums and dads is too much. The heartbreak for a teenage girl conned and manipulated by an older man (as shown in An Eduication) is more than heartbreaking and if it ended in loss of your babies I'm sure most of us do care and today fully support you. I do, I'm a teenager I know what it feels like in 2012.
It's tragic to lose a supposed girlfriend or boyfriend in teenage years, just don't know how you survived also losing a baby with what they did.
Hope you have a lot of supports and those responsible for your trauma do the right thing.
They can't do worse than they already have. That's so painful it's torture to take a baby away from it's mother and vice versa.
Bowlby and other academics have talked about this a million times over.
willis

I'm astonished the news on the weekend called the birth mothers 'mentally ill.'
That's not truth.
Truth is many of them may have psychological injuries, and that's how it is in the 21st century.
Who wouldn't have a psychological injury if/when they were forced (not by mores of the time because empathy and compassion existed then as now) to lose their own babies and the babies their own mothers and fathers.
I feel strongly about this, empathy and compassion was missing on large.
Language in adoption has to change and reform.
The mothers can achieve deep understanding, ample psychological health if and when the governments start pouring more funds into Health Care rather than say the military.
We've gone in wrong directions by making it as difficult to get health care as it can possibly be, whilst pouring funds into sending our sons and daughters into wrong and destructive (crazy) wars only to return (if they live through those wars) needing Health Care that requires therapy and helping them heal from psychological injuries.
The term for the birthing mothers anguish is psychological injury not mental illness. These labels are for cans, and are what destroyed these young ones to begin with. No more.
If anybody wonders why, it's that psychological injuries can be treated, it's never too late and every Australian has the human right to Health Care. That's a given.
Also, naming depression a mental illness, when a high percentage of Australians have this is discriminatory again. This came from the Good Weekend this weekend past and the writing about one kind of forced adoption there.
Haven't these birthing mothers and their children had enough labels, chaos, cruelty, discrimination and abuse.
They most certainly have.
Get the language right, no more torturing the already traumatised with unjust discriminating labels.

I was deeply saddened by the stories of the women in the Good Weekend writing, then again there was not one teenager mentioned in it. How come, they were the majority.
The thing is it happened to mostly teenage unmarried mothers. Why did the journalist focus on the older women.
I'm not for a minute diminishing their terrifying stories.
I would love to know they are all healing from their 'psychological injuries' and they certainly have my compassion and empathy, very much so. What stories these are.
More focus on Health in Australia.
It's now not only a very real need it's a necessity.
Thanks

Abi(gail)

Adoptees were deprived of their families, their primal relationship with their own mothers and their origins. Some of us don't even have a date or time of birth recorded. How can anyone say that the "babies" got any rights, when our basic human rights have been denied us since birth?

Just reading about an adoptees pont of view and a right one.
That she or he didn't have any human rights.
That's very true.
No one with any social conscience thinks the babies didn't lose, and a lot more than their mothers.
What was explained to us was that the LAWS allowed and maybe still alow adoptees/the babies to be adopted.
The babies human rights were violated I can see this,
but then the babies were not left stranded and in bleak circumstances without any voices, choices, empathy or supports.
The babies were given two parents who were married.
This doen't mean the babies were not abused, but they were intended to be looked after and loved by so called 'respectable married couples'.
Somebody mentioned Bowlby and his work.
The babies needed the biological mums as did the mums need the babies. It was unjust in many ways.
Human rights in forced adoptions are a travesty, and the human rights commission hasn't said anything on air or off about all this.
Don't want to make a complaint to them because they don't listen or don't appear to hear real complaints about human rights abuses. There's a zillion I have commented on and they are so blase it's not funny.
The babies were entitled to the love, nurturing and maternal care and time of their original mothers, and where there the fathers.
Sion

We'd like to know what places of health care maternity in this instance they unconscionably left out the dates and times of the babies birth.
That's unthinkable though good it's been raised.
Who were the churchs, charities, welfare agencies, whoever who left out these?
Another thing, illegitimate was long taken out of the human dictionary. We see so many still refer to this kind of talk. Disgraceful, shameful.
Name the abusers of your human rights.
This is unconscionable abuse and violation of human rights.
Sion

My familyand I have two adoptees in our care.
We've seen a wesbite named National Adoption Awareness Week organised by the wife of an Australian celebrity.
It's a sham and spam.
There's nothing to help us as a family on that website.
There's actually nothing on that website about National adoptions or anything about Forced Adoptuions.
The whole website under lying name of National, is nothing less than a woman whose meant to be like us, but has a need to control and only look after her own agenda, an adoptive mother Deborah.
I want to see this kind of promoting their own personal and professional agenda while saying they are a National Body meant to be available to all involved in adoptions taken off the net.
It's not conscionable.
National Adoption Awareness Week has nothing for anybody except the websites organisers, a celebrity and her few others trying to influence very unfairly.
They are not representative of the whole gamut of human adoptions, and have nothing at all on the very topical Forced Adoptions.
They are all ego and no substance unless you're planning on adopting a baby and preferably from overseas.
We all need to have promoters promoting empathy, compassion, trust, social inclusion and care for past and present wrongs in adoptions.

We all need a real National Adoption Awareness Campaign, one that looks at and includes birth mothers and fathers as well as the adoptees and adopters.
National Adoption Awareness Week seems to think the biological parents are nonexistent, let alone their ignoring the horrors we're hearing off with Forced Adoptions.

Best wishes to the women who individually have to heal from what I find unimaginable, forced adoptions. Best wishes to their biological sons and daughters.

Nicholas

The Sydney Morning Herald in the last Good Weekend section had one emotional and tragic media about two women who lost their babies by a form of choice, albeit very tragic choices and this is not forced adoptions. Yet it is.
The tragic stories the journalisr tells the reader have nothing along the lines of judging the fathers. The fathers have never been judged and the women have been cursed by those who are blind to compassion and humanity.
Nothing mentioned about the fathers except one who was absent and written to be.
It's interesting and terrible.
No judgement made on the fathers. Immaculate conceptions?
Also found it interesting the journalist didn't have the teenage mother in her journalism, only two older women, though just out of that wilderness of teenage years, in their 20's.
These two mums were judged more than tragically it's good that was made public.

What is in the writing shows us the extremists of the 50's & 60's not the social mores of that time and how forced adoptions extended well into the 80's.
I question all this.

Scewered for sales rather than bringing up the real issues, that is not factual journalism, it's aimed at sales with a bit of facts.
This doesn't mean I didn't shed a tear at the sheer tragedy of the two women's emotional horror. They were older. They were not what I thought of with the knowledge I have of forced adoptions. They are human and deserve recognition and respect, and hopefully have a lot of healing via professional therapy.
It's as though there has been no closure for these two women in that media.
It's not showing forced adoptions in ways that are socially inclusive.
Good luck to those two women. Healing can and does happen.
You're not sick unless you didn;t give a care for your babies.
The journalist needs to focus on all the real issues about forced adoptions that are topical and not scew with our emotions with random two who were not a majority at all. The practices were, we all know that now.
The Salvation Army exposed again, as are the catholic churchs, both with this willingness to use and abuse women as lesser, and leave out any responsibility on the men/fathers. That's interesting and terrible.
Last of all most forced adoption mums and many of the dads pined for their children and still do.

Joanne

I thought a lot about Fiona Harari's news.
Parts of it showed me how the two women spoke in third person, not as 'I'. Noone can speak for all.
Perhaps they were never intending to do this, perhaps they were self-denying mothers. They were engulfed in an odd and more than cruel religion of their time.

Parts of Missing Links showed me tormeting pictures of the little mentioned Darcys in these women's lives.
Parts of me squirmed at the way Fiona speaks of ageing women as if all forced adoptions are to do with these, and if too many were how Fiona has a lot to learn about chronological age having nothing to do with a woman or man's psychic age, there is ageism in that SMH news.
There is a tragic age discrimination in Australia especially detrimental and geered toward women.
That's only one of the nations mainstream news media's despicable prejudices.

There's also the realisation the Catholic church has a lot to do with age discrimination with it's focus on youth.
My local Catholic church has ample resources for youth, nothing for unmarried pregnant youth.
Except for their whiter than white yet very dark church they have nothing for anyone older than youth.
No extra church activities except asking and too often expecting the chronologically older ones to volunteer.
That's puttting the older than 20's down.
They have so much to understand as they didn't then in the years Fiona writes about and today.
Madonna, the very name impying a relationship with Catholisism has made a spotlight out of the youth culture.

I know several Catholics and they are decent true christians, that wasn't the case for unmarried pregnant women in the baby scoop era of fortys to eighties. Fiona only mentions the 50's and 60's.
Bumper years for this of course.

What's maddening further in Fiona Harari's 'Missing links' is the youthful unmarried pregnant women who were so deeply demonised and judged whilst the men who also createt their babies were not subject to any judgements.
Or were they, are these silent. The absent fathers who abandoned their pregnant women.
Were these 'fathers' left to the world to scrutinise in that silent way you see on biocom movies.

The two real life stories caused me feelings of vast sadness.
I had a nightmare the night after I read these.
The main part of it was that section telling of one woman being asked by the Salvation Army to scrub floors whilst fully pregnant on her knees before god. Getting down and dirty, the way the Salvation Army hospital Matron kicked her when she was down in the name of what the Matron felt was god. The matron had no capacity to think let alone feel in a healthy caring sense.
How merciless not only to that fully pregnant woman to all women in that position.

It's degrading to the women there and all forced adoptions women so many were just kids, to put them on the same pages as the Catholic and Salvation Army priests, matrons,
nurses and all the rest who totally and unabashed in front of others bullied and humiliated the unmarried pregnant women.

I was disturbed by this news.
The writing of the babies being 'given up' isn't it really the babies were 'lost to adoption' not given up or 'relinquished'. Why keep using terminology that isn't real.
I wonder what professional linguists with social consciences think of all this.

I'd like to see the Salvation Army get down and get dirty doing the floors for all these women they knocked down and out.

I liked Shirlee Swains decency and compassion.
I didn't see eye to eye with her on everything she said to Fiona. A lot of it was truth.

The question now is what else in the name of god are religious plus other authorities doing to anyone who is suffering any kind of loss or trauma.

I have a lot of compassion for the women in that news.
I would be overwrought if forced adoptions were happening again today. We're told we've grown beyond that but is that the truth.
In some ways the discrimination is still there as I said regarding my local church.

Fair Australia can't advance unless until the authorities start at last to act fair and humane.
I can't say anything further about religions in Australia except little wonder Budhism is on the rise there.

Jan

I think there's the churchs especially the Catholics, and Salvation Army that think adoption is better than abortion, and their institutions make so many Sales, sales of babies from adoption, they want it to stay that way.
If I'm wrong I'd like proof of this.
This is the ultimate disgrace of forced adoptions and the churchs who delve in these.
My work is with a unit trying to establish and evaluate how these churchs can be scrutinised & regulated so as to no longer call the shots for sales of babies rather than abortions. Though abortions make money for sales oriented as well. It's very sad.
The mercinaries in Autralia make my team and I feel shame & pity toward these churchs for this kind of exploitation of young teenagers and women, as well as men.
Forced adoptions rightly has opened up lots of social injustices.
We found a group of mothers who lost to forced adoptions who were amazing and yet they were living on peanuts and where they should not be living. They deserve at min. decent human rights and living standards, not peanuts and stagnation in wrong places.
It's horrified us so we intend to continue our work to erase at least a little of their hardship and deplorable present conditions.

Sasha Marshall

What's totally shocking about forced adoptions is that nobody but nobody at all looked after these young ones whatever age ones whilst they were pregnant and afterwards.
Forced adoptions is totally callous, inhumane and abominable.
Best of luck to all who suffered through all that.
It's a national shame.
Veronica

Forced adoptions were definitely about extremists like muslim extremists.
This is a hard and painful lot of stories to fathom and understand for anyone.
All the best to everybody affected by such extreme cruelty and shameful abuse, chaos and corruption.

Brian

Very sadly 'Missing Years' in the Good Weekend July 20 2012 misses a lot of the differing stories.
The sadness most of all comes from it's pretense the women were sercretive most of all rather than the institutions and governments.
I'm horrified by the facts in it and also horrified the journalist left out so much.

L.Lehmann

There's a lot to be said about who and what was missing in Baby Scoop Era in Australia.
I'm a biological mother who lost in that era.
When I was alone and without any idea what was going on, after the loss of my baby, I searched for help.
The help I searched for was in Health as it was affecting my health the loss.
I went to my local doctor and nothing was given to me except empty words.
It was hard for me to explain how it was for me and not out of any secrecy out of sheer shock and bewilderment.
I wasn't as the women in Missing years a church oriented personh, so I didn;t go to any church for solace, how could I, I'd come from an elite church school that was repressive and another horror show.
Give to the poor but never talk to them, hypocrasy and elitism on a scale I've never forgotten.
I went to hospitals, women's hospitals, and had check ups of my own choice, and the staff were unable to give me any health care that was needed.
What was missing was not only my baby alive I hoped and doing well I prayed, also I needed counselling.
Nobody in Health offered me any counsel.
Nobody anywhere offered me counsel.
I had nowhere to put the hurtful and alarmed feelings I felt except push them under.
I tried to talk to every medical person I met and got a brick wall.
Today I go to the hspital for a very different reason, and the queues are so large it's outrageous.
I'm asking the government and all the welfare agencies who have anything to do with forced adoptions to look at what was missing, aside from the outright lack of empathy and compassion, then and today.
I'm asking the government and welfare agencies and any official with responsibilities in Health to look at and actively refornm the Health systems in Australia.
More funding should have been available for this area of citizens human rights when forced adoptions happened and more should be there today.
What is stopping the government from wanting a more healthy nation.
What is hurting the biological mothers today.
What is needed is as WELA have stated and more.
Counselling helps when anybody has been savagely bullied or hurt to the extent the biological mothers experienced. I speak for my self and those I know in similar situations.
We're lost for words as to why Health isn't a high priority for anybody affected by forced adoptions, and why so much goes into wars none of us want to have any part in.

Best outcome for all affected by forced adoptions, not continuing grief that is unattended too.
Sue

There's one thing that gets any of us through any and all traumas and thats our intimate relationships.

Today we have a society that seems to value career and ambition as more important than these.

How did forced adoptions find the birth mothers and their babies without any intimate relationships who were there for them to allow them to be together?

There's the true story of the multinational millionare who went to therapy because he had what he called a major life problem.
He phoned the therapist in urgent need of attention.
The therapist heard in his voice sheer distress and agony.
When the therapist met the patient or client he met a man who was in agony and distress because the only living one who was there for him, and who he allowed even close to him was his cat, who had just died.

Most of us love our animals to pieces, nothing wrong with that, yet this is too much, and very sad.

This man had spent years working, made a fortune without ever getting close to another single human being, not his staff, his family, or anyone else; except for his finally lost to death cat.

My heart ached when I first heard this story which is true by the way, told to me by a well known man who cares a great deal about relationships, not only with one's pets.

Where were the intimate relations and why were they destroyed and or not available when the birth mothers and their babies needed them very urgently in forced adoptions?

We have to get it right that humane balance between the financial and the humane or we're definitely going to be a planet of meaningless, loveless, lonely entities, possibly with a pet or two, maybe even a robot.

Missing Years in SMH focused mainly on two reigious women who were thoroughly occupied in their work, for the main, and it was for me a very tragic read.
I felt their agony as well as was a bit confused by their secrecy. It's hard to believe everyone in society at that time was without humanity toward their professional responsibilities.
I don't believe it because I've met women in those times who kept their babies because intimate relations were available to them, they weren't forced by disgracefu means to adopt and lose their babies.

Because a number of Australians, not all at all, were shamed by unwed women being pregnant why did the two in the paper have to be? This was too sad.
I feel deeply for them.
It's tragic what they went through and what has been raised about the Salvation Army and the Catholic Church.

The teenagers who went through forced adoptions hadn't even begun their working careers.
If they had it was after school work or evening and weekend casual at some low paid enterprise possibly connected with their families, or friends.
The very people along with the unwed mothers babies whom they would lose once they were sent far away wherever they were sent to hide what others were with status anxiety about, I think.
The very families abd friends they were denied access to when they went through what many of us can now see was as tragic as it comes.

I do think the SMH Missing Years is good to read and understand more, have problems with 'the mores of the day though'.

Bring back some balance in Australian society, it'e never all about GDP, if it were, then how come that milllionaire was so desperatly lonely to say the least and of his own making, and in need of what turned out to be very lengthy therapy after the loss of the only one he catharted, his pet cat.

Human Adoption can never be all about who you know and how much GDP you give or how much you pay for another's loved baby.

From an interested and caring person who wants to see forced adoptions finding the mothers and their children with intimate relationships, if they haven't already found these.
I want them to have healing in other areas of their valuable lives.
If they haven't intimate relationships today, as well as meaningful lives, therapy is one realistic and available way to start up that road to rediscovering or finding at last these.

It can work for desperatly lonely and isolated millionares too.

Thankyou Indy.
I respect and have learnt a lot from the number of commentaries ideas and views in your news.

Empathy and compassion did exist in the times of forced adoptions, it just didn't exist with forced adoptions situations.
Shameful Disgrace.

Recommend compensation for all the forced adoptions women.

Belinda and Family

Missing Years from the Syndye Morning Herald's Good Weekend speaks bout two women's tragic events of forced adoptions.
My heart was captured by the sheer anguish of Phillipa Brennan and Ursula McVuinney's two stories.
The part about the grown infant now adult who rejects her mother is a part of adoption reunion that needs attention.
There's a book mentioned on this website called "Through Loss" and in it I found the excerpt about how a son or daughter may reject their mother when they finally meet up because unconsciously or consciously they themselves ultimately have felt mother rejection from the past.
They, the books tells, act out a form of revenge by rejecting their mothers, as they feel or felt they were once rejected. The cruelty and sadness of this is unbearable.
We know the forced adoption babies were never rejected.
We know the authorities rejected the mothers and their babies.
We need to look at this holistically.
Reunions as WELA states are to be had, all well and good, let's get the facts clear though.
It doesn't all end up happy families.
There were and are "Missing Years" and that's a tragedy nothing can take away.
I'm really concerned and with empathy for the two women in that news, as I am for all the mothers.
You are mothers. You deserve affection, love and a good therapist each of you. The right for for every individual who went through this. Nothing less.
Nothing and no one can take the fact you are mothers away from you.
You deserve that to be realised by everyone.
I respect you for your dignity and grace telling your individual stories to the media.
I respect your lives and wish you healing.
Know that nothing you did or do has anything to do with why your own rejected you even after one of you had considerable contact. That grown adoptee needs help too.
It's too cruel, that second reliving a rejection that came from so many who were supposedly moral or ethical staff at places of health and care.
I wish these women and all birth mothers healing and for the aurthorities all of them to finally admit it was much more than 'misguided' so much more.
Mother of two
Sydney
Australia

Forced adoptions is without a doubt a large scale social injustice that's attracted what it should a great deal of publicity.
The Report has not been implemented though we're told there's a National Paology coming.
Coming when?
Single unwed mothers, and many fathers were denied their human rights, in fact not even told what they were when they were so young.
Simgle mothers and fathers today receive considerable sympathy.
It comes as no surprise that not one media has mentioned Julian Assange has been a single dad. That would draw public sympathy. Fact is the social injustuce surrounding Julian has a lot of human elements kept quiet by the mainstream media, all medias.
Just like Forced adoptions was kept very quiet about the single, unwed birth mothers, in a different time.
Social injustices raised must show us all the human details so the citizens of Australia can make informed views and actively create what is said but what isn't truth: fair and balanced media and ethical national actions.
We're constantly given only half the truth if truth at all.
Forced adoptions were dreadfully detrimental to all concerned, the whole of Australian society, as is the way Julian assange is being treated today.
Patrice & Timothy

The Conversation titles one of it's discussions 'Adoption isn't the answer to child protection' der.
When I see these kinds of headings I wonder who is editing these sites.
Of course Parenting a child or someone else's baby (through adoption) does have something to do with protecting that infant or child from dangers of the world as well as other parental responsibilities, one of which is to have the child with access to his or her history and biological background and be loved and nurtured with the bonds that began prior to the infants birth.
Forced adoptions were not happening because the powers that be thought the stolen infants would be better protected they happened because the powers that be lacked essential human awareness and respect for the mothers and the infants human rights.
They ignored the mothers completely as if they were a mere means to an ends, a commodity for married infertile couples.
I'm astounded by the news that keeps popping up about all these various women who've suffered all their adult lives without enough if any recognition of their tragic losses until this time.
These young mothers who lost so tragically were good decent ones who had no choices given them. They had no recognition they were even mothers given them.
Forced adoptions has brought up a lot of questions governments, churchs, social welfare agents and charities must immediately confront and this time without the intolerable discrimination of mothers, in this instance unmarried ones.
The pain of reading all these things, I am aghast at how the sufferers are handling all this.
Dignity and human respect for original motherhood is not lost and no infant can be without a mother.
'The Conversation' is something I wont read again as they're rather bent and thoughtless.

Brett

Forced adoptions have shown the world the lowest common deno,imator in violence against women/mothers, and their babies.
I fully support the many who have endured this tragic adveristy that needs to have all the recommendations in the report enacted.
Conscionable citizens of Australia want an Apology public, National and it could extend internationally as we are now an international country.
Note Gillards gining 1Billion $ AID to Afghanistans, and the money to Indonesia.
We need that money for just causes in Australia.
Dee
North Shore NSW

Forced adoptions horrify me and my family.
It's been talked about by our family a lot of late.
How they happened we just don't know, it's too barbaric.

I read Nicholas's commentary on National Adoption Awareness Week 25.7.12 and agree the name is not suitable.
As well I think there is a lot missing about what has been as in Forced adoptions on that website.
In defence of Deborah Lee Furness I do see that every baby has right to have parents and the Aussie government shouldn't make it so difficult to adopt from either overseas or in Australia.
No question about it Deborah is probably a very fine mother.
Neither is there any question that in this day and age there are some mothers of babies who don't want their babies and a maternal woman who is able and loving wanting such a baby, what is wrong with that.

I've several friends who grew up in Foster homes and the tragedies of their lives have been endless.
Isn't it far better to have consistent loving parents than none at all. Ir children going from foster parents to different foster parents.

Off track from forced adoptions, wanted to write this for all the women out there who are fighting red tape simply to mother a baby or child who has no other parents.

National Adoption Awareness Week may not have all the realities of adoption Nicholas, the name should be changed.
It't not nationally inclusive.
In defence of it's founder I think the motives are not cruel. They are trying to make it that couples and possibly singles with all they need to lovingly raise a baby wuthout a parent from Australia and overseas easier.

Every baby is deserving of at very least a mother who will cherish her or him and raise her or him into adulthood.

Forced adoptions are not put aside here.
They are as everyone is saying outrageous.

Nell

Yes Patrice and Timothy what a good social copnscience you have.
The powers that be have a quite a bit of apologising to do.
Not only for Forced adoptions.

Reg L.

Reg L. They have to apologise for forced adoptions. They are like the taliban and the way they treated women, NOT ON.
They have to apologise to Julian Assange as it's now well known Julia Gillard the PM of Australia has mingled with a criminal, her ex, and had the savage indecency to call Julian, a brilliant man, a criminal.
Apologies needed by all governments in Australia for several very tragic and wrong social injustices.

Malcolm

The good the bad and the ugly, forced adoptions fall into the ugly.
The people of Australia want the PM to give a National apology and the Report to be implemented.
The mothers who lost clearly suffer all their lives, and that's as consequence of close to being treated as the taliban treat their women.
We want these women to no longer suffer any further trauma.

[As people are knocking Gillard, take a look at the bully Abbot and make no mistakes he's mingled with criminals as well.]

The good the bad and the ugly, the way Julian Assange has been treated and still is, falls into the ugly.
The people of Australia want the Minister for Foreign Affairs Bob Carr to give an apology to this man whose raised what we all needed to know about, and whose a son, a father and a decent humane man.
We also want [what was denied the mothers in forced adoptions in that past] for this man: Australian SUPPORT acted out in ways that save his life from any further trauma.

in Hope for all who have been subjected to what amounts to the most ugly minds who lack basic decency and humanity. We're all citizens of Australia and all of us have an obligation to show humanity.

Ross Marshall, Family, Friends and Colleagues

Forced adoptions talks all about the savage brutality, the barbaric practices and policies of being betrayed.
The young too often guileless unwed mothers knew nothing about men, and found themselves at first betrayed too often by one, and that one lead to the birth of a loved infant.
The only way to ease the tragedy of these kinds of betrayals is for society via governments, all welfare organisations and churchs involved to admit their liability.
The churchs betrayed the mothers. This is very clear.
How can this be when the church so often reminds us all of how Jesus was betrayed.
Was society looking out for who to martyr and finding this with teenagers at such impressionable ages, or the only slightly older women.
Why would any society betray a woman with a child, or any man with a child.
There is too much injustice in forced adoptions and in the end the mothers have to face the fact they were savagely betrayed and overcome what that did to their lives.
Betrayal toward such vulnerable ones as young teenagers pregnant is a crime against humanity.
I don't know how the fathers who abondoned these teenagers got away with their inability to take their share of the responsibility. I'm talking about the teenagers fathers as well as the men who devalued them so tragically.
I have no idea how society got away with it's treachery toward vulnerability such as this.
Don't the Salvation Army feel shame?
Don't all the recognised 'christian' churchs feel any shame?
Finally the Australian government has shown some shame regarding this betrayal via first and foremost a Greens politician Rachel Siewert.
Well done to all the parties on the Senate Committee who worked together and unanimously concluded what is now well known to most Australians, forced adoptions caused tragedies, and will again if they're ever repeated.
We are a fine nation compared to many others.
We don't have to betray our fellow man and make it a 'funny Australian larrikin joke' when it's factually a very serious unjust wrong that affected many more than I believe have been written about and raised in the news media.
Healing of betratyal comes from people we can trust who show they care and follow through with actions that are finally caring and with human decency, civilised.
Forced adoptions has a terrible way of showing how man can be so merciless and get away with it.
We, the conscionable, can't allow this anymore.
Everyone involved in forced adoptions has a part to play in righting what happened to the betrayed unwed pregnant and birthing mothers.
This is not a government only social injustice.

Abi(gail)

Betrayal is

It's well received a large number of the mothers are in the middle of a class action against the perpetrators of forced adoptions.
The Law Firm is Porters Lawyers in Canberra. Good on them for doing this.

I would like to see more of these class actions for all those mothers.
Forced adoptions about betrayal.
Fair enough.
It's about all the low life antics of the meanest spirits, most importantly again that large one discrimination and scapegoating.
My family and I support the mothers in particular as the mothers, whatever their backgrounds and they came from all different backgrounds, deserve their human rights from here on.
These human rights are to be shown to them with respect for their motherhood.
They are mothers, only very uncivilised societies disrespect mothers as with every entitlement to all supports.
Thanks

Barbara and family

It's been said to me far too often by professionals in the field that mothers with newborn babies and young babies are one of the few most vulnerable in our society.
Their decision making skills are at an all time low.
Their needs for protection at an all time high.
Their physical and emotional needs are likewise.
This is for all those mothers who did have supports.

To hear about mothers left alone with newborn infants without supports is heartbreaking.
From: a mother

Because the Human Rights Commission have said nothing about this tragic forced adoptions, the Minister for Anti-discrimination Graham Innes should actively take a stand speaking out publicly about this terrifying discrimination.
He should also advise the citizens of Australia if such practices are still being secretly carried out, and abolish these.

Mark

The Human Rights Commission is one government body.
I think I may have made an error with Glen Innes as he is the Disability Discrimination Commissioner, nonetheless, the real Commissioner or Minister for Australian Human Rights needs to speak up and out about this national disgrace, forced adoptions.

I know they (Human Rights Commission) weren't in existence at the time, that doesn't stop their responsibilities in this new century.

Thanks Mark

The subject of abject poverty and how quite a few of the birth mothers suffered this after leaving the nest has not been raised.
There shouldn't be any abject poverty in a country such as Australia.
When churchs, and pseudo churchs such as the Salvation Army, governments on all levels stigmatise and degrade a teenager with discrimination there is the beginning of cause for that young women to become without own volition to fall into poverty.
I'm saddened by forced adoptions.
I know two women who have been through this.
One of these has suffered severe abject poverty in her life. If it were not for friends she would not have ever got out of that life. The other had a taste of it only, to her good fortune.
Betrayal, Deceit. Discrimination and Torture: all these are part of what Forced Adoptions were.
There is cause and effect.
Australia is too collectively rich to have any of this again, nobody should be living in abject poverty in AUSTRALIA.
We need to all use our own free wills and abolish abject poverty in Australia, as well as the contemptuous divisive discriminations.

Best of luck to all the mothers and you are mothers who were neglected and criminally.
Heather Fitzgerald

There's more to what the savagely treated mums want than mere recognition of their disgusting treatments.
There's much more.
A lot of people write about forced adoptions as if they were so slight and meaningless.
Forced adoptions were abominable in our country.
I think everyone with any sense in Australia wants justice for these mums.

Laurie B

This is directed at the Australian Institute of Family Studies as they are having, we Australians are told, large input (hopefully creative) into what transpired with Forced adoptions.
Forced adoptions are and were Violence Against Women.
There can be no other conclusion especially when reading how writhe and without social conscience these large numbers of affected women exist, those who survived the tragedies of such large scale mistreatments.
We can do better than separate very young families/all families in Australia, whether via Forced adoptions or any other means.

Abi(gail)

It's a strange kind of parental 'love' to exile your own teenager because she's pregnant.
This Forced adoptions is a reflection on the parents of the teenage girls/women and the parental responsibilities of parliaments, churchs and corporations.
i.e. ethical standards.
The strange kind of love is what I call neocon love that's more like hate than love and seems to happen with very conservative controlling mechanisms.
Whoever wrote we need to actively promote compassion and empathy is right on.
It's now a real need, in families,society,communities, nationally and internationally.
Thanks Indy Joshua

The Prime minister is too rediculous at stating "The Australian people want this or that" when she doesn't dare ask the Australian people what they want, she does what she wants it seems.
She and Howard or Rudd can't know the Australian people's views about anything without asking individuals all.
She's got a lot to answer for doing this Howard stuff.
No prime minister can say at any time they know the views of our wide range of people in Australia.
With forced adoptions there's a lot of evidence large numbers of Australians do support the tormented mothers. isn't it time for that apology, or is there some "fiscal" or varying other reason it just can't happen as yet.
It's time to also talk with, not down to, as well as listen too the Australian people PM, and all who have anything to do with decision making that effects all Australians.
Forced adoptions had torturous measures of crude domination bordering on if not actually dictating the wills of the pregnant adolescents and adults.
We're not being dominated by dictators here in Australia are we?
Ted & family
Teacher

When I read Joshua's commentary I kept thinking we cannot perceive governments as parents for adults, except in that they do have high obligations to protect and look after all the citizens, a vital role in this. That's part of love (agape), what is needed and too often missing in what is meant to be trully authentic democratic governments.
If we perceive governments as being parents to citizens in one way we infantalise the citizens, that's a nongrowth direction to raise any countries prosperity in any area of it's growth and responsibilities.

I do see how exiling any pregnant teenage girl/women from their family and peers is very tragic and was wrong.
Parents with a need to have absolute control over their teenagers ideas, lives, not allowing them to have any say at all; such fathers or mothers would do this. They cannot believe in or trust their own teenagers judgements, and probably because they doubt their own? Trust issues as well as other ones.

Governments too often think they have the highest goal to keep checks of accounts and balances, when they do have, I agree Joshua, ethical standards as well, which they have obligations to follow. Leaders have to show authentic leadership styles.

Where we have unjust laws these have needs to be changed.
This was the case with forced adoptions, and they did change eventually.
If it hadn't been for a few outspoken citizens of Australia authentically raising what forced adoptions were, and following that two different inquiries we would still be in the dark about these forced adoption tragedies.

Governments as parents could be perceived as they having far too much control over the free wills of Australians and all adults, they don't have that, never can.
Australian adults, those who have reached authentic adulthood have no need nor is it any governments right ever, to impose punitive, controlling actions when these adults are with passion and action for what is right and ethical for mankind.
Today I extend my deepest respect and sincere goodwill to forced adoptions victims.

Today I also extend my deepest respect and sincere goodwill for one man who has been hounded, oppressed and placed in precarious cirumstances for being an adult, Julian Assange and Wikileaks.

Justice for both these very seperate causes.
If it doesn't happen today it will tomorrow.
Love is, as one writer said, stronger and more powerful than hate. In the long run it always wins.

All hope for anyone who suffers at the hands of those who are so in fear of truths exposed it's turned to hate; because the former have passion and love for their own children, truth and betterment of our world.

What I first and foremost imagined drew politicians to office is they want that betterment of our world.
Too much knowledge and news hurts me to understand this is not always so. Tragically not always so, and that reality as expressed by a writer that politicians are in it for dominance and influence is too real.
Dominance doesn't belong in authentic democractic governments, because it denies growth, or infantalises adults who are growing.

Influencing to cover up international secrets does nothing but take us backwards and that's not growth and prosperity either.

Today I specifically live in hope Julian Assange will gain reprieve. Julian Assange is an Australian citizen who deserves to be protected and looked after in a civilised adult manner with full ethical support unhindered without what has been happening, tragic harassment of those who are helping/supporting him, this includes some of the most marvellous minds in the land and abroad.

Secrets, lies and Forced adoptions.

Secrets, lies and Julian Assange.

Both to be read.

We have to allow our selves and fellow citizens the right to grow and prosper without being targeted because they do or have suffered for truth.
No matter how painful these truths may be.
Pain can be transcended.

One birth mother with a social conscience.

Thank you for your insightful and caring words Meredith Hunter.
Yes, there are empty arms, yet hearts which hold their lost infants, for many women in forced adoptions.

I do believe there are some fine politicians in Australia who are showing such conscionable behavior toward this social cause.
They are on all sides of government, possibly most prominent in the Greens, though astoundingly most governments are somehow seeing the birth mothers realities and empathising.

The ACT apology is fine and one part of what the ACT can do to make life bearable for the biological mothers.

Good work.
Thank you again
Biological mum

As a woman who was thoroughly intimidated into first sexual experience and raped at a later age I cannot even vaguely beleive the men who did this had to withstand the gross vile mistreatments Julian Asange has gone through because they didn't.
As a victim of rape I know instintively Julian Assange did not rape any woman of the age of consent, let alone two of them.
What has eraged Washington was when in 2010 Wikileaks published documents that embarassed them to the extreme.
Horrifying secrets the whole world had every right to know about, to Julian Assange and Wikileaks credit.
American governments along with UK governments have been enraged to the extreme.
When do they contain that extremist rage and start to show civilised acceptance they made errors, and leave the messenger alone.

The secrets so many churchs, charities, welfare agencies and governments hid about forced adoptions were revealed and now the extremes of forced adoptions are out in the open. None that I know of as in the fathers who intimidated and raped the teenage girls who became pregnant were persecuted. Very few were up for carnal knowledge.

If America and the UK are seriously wanting to reeastablish or maintain any credibility in government leadership they need to face their own rage and get over and beyond their merciless hostile need for revenge.

Too naive, well naive is no such thing as one cannot know what one hasn't experienced. I have experienced rape both of my body and my psyche. This I know about.

Put yourselves in the targets of forced adoptions shoes and walk around a bit, it's a start. Empathy dilutes rage.
Empathy for self as well as others as all make mistakes.
It's about changing so they're not repeated.

Put yourselves in Julian Assange's shoes and walk around a bit, it's imperative at this time. Again empathy dilutes
rage.

It's so hard to appeal to one ragefull man who has raped you so young and left you pregnant, alone, let alone to a mass of publicly shamed government officials.
However the latter surely know they've already been judged, will not be hunted down, and have no need to project any further punitive actions on the Australian who stands for what America and UK say they stand for; freedom, Julian Assange.

Concerned mother

Folks, please write headings on your coments. It's very time consuming for the few of us working this site to do it for you. It's easy. Just wipe whatever is in the box under "Subject:" and replace it with your own heading.

P l e a s e !!!