Comedian Jon Holmes on Forced Adoption

Jon Holmes will be presenting BBC's File on Four on 8th August at 8pm and 13th August at 5pm.

Whilst trying to trace his birth parents, Jon found that about 185,000 babies of unmarried mothers were put up for adoption in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976, many of them by force. He is shocked by the finding.

But what's astounding is that no-one seems to realise that this practice of forced adoption is still prevalent in the UK, not necessarily because a mother is single, but because social workers and the Court consider that the mother is unsuitable.

Prospect Trade Union magazine reports that the 2021 data shows that of the 2,270 children 'placed in adoption', only 290, or 13 per cent, were adopted 'with consent'.

It's time for the UK to end the barbaric practice of forced adoption, and to align itself with the practices of our European colleagues.