United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer has issued a formal apology in parliament for the forced adoptions of babies born to unmarried mothers in the decades following World War II. The government-sanctioned and church-supported system, active between 1949 and 1976, coerced and shamed mothers into giving up their infants. An estimated 185,000 children were forcibly adopted, a practice that Starmer acknowledges was systemically embedded across local authorities, voluntary institutions, faith-based organizations, and health and social care services. The government has pledged £4 million ($5.3m) to help people access their adoption records, fund secondary services for reconnecting relatives, and conduct research on the long-term effects on victims. The practice was marked by inhumane treatment of mothers-to-be, including deliberate withholding of painkillers during labor and after childbirth, ripping babies away from sobbing mothers, and doctors refusing to provide abortion services. The Church of England has also apologized for its role in the forced adoptions, while Australia and Ireland have previously issued similar apologies for their own histories of forced adoptions. Starmer's speech emphasizes the government's deep regret for its failure to protect mothers, children, and families from harm and calls for a shift in the shame from victims to those responsible for the systemic abuse.