Forced adoptions of children born to unmarried mothers persisted within Catholic institutions in the United Kingdom well into the 1980s, extending beyond the previously understood cutoff in the 1970s. This continuation challenges earlier assumptions that such practices largely ended with the passage of the Adoption Act 1976.

Julia Macklin, a financial consultant from Marple, Greater Manchester, shared her personal experience of coercion surrounding the adoption of her daughter in the early 1980s. After becoming pregnant at age 15 in 1982, Macklin said she was pressured by her parents—both devout Catholics—and their parish priest to give up her daughter for adoption. Macklin’s late father, a teacher at a Catholic school in Manchester, was reportedly warned by the priest that he would not receive a professional promotion if it became known that his daughter was an unmarried mother.

Macklin gave birth to her daughter, Siobhan, in March 1983 at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester. Two weeks after the birth, Siobhan was placed for adoption with a married Catholic couple. The child was put up for adoption through the Catholic Children’s Rescue Society in Salford, a charity that later transferred its activities to the Caritas Diocese of Salford in 2012 and ceased adoption support services in 2022. Julia and Siobhan were reunited in 2001 when Siobhan turned 18 and gained the legal right to access information about her biological mother.

Macklin described the experience as profoundly traumatic and persistent in its emotional impact, stating that she would “never, ever recover from the loss.” Siobhan, now 43 and a health manager in Manchester, emphasized that her mother did not relinquish her child voluntarily.

The continuation of forced adoptions past the 1970s is supported by Diana Defries, chairman of the Movement for an Adoption Apology (MAA), an organization advocating for women affected by these historic practices. Defries said she had encountered numerous women who suffered similar coercion into the 1980s.

Responding to the revelations, a spokesperson for the Caritas Diocese of Salford expressed deep regret over Macklin’s experience and acknowledged the enduring harm caused by past adoption practices.

The issue is currently being highlighted in a BBC documentary titled Stolen Babies, which airs on BBC2 and is available to stream on iPlayer. The program explores the legacy of forced adoptions and gives voice to survivors sharing their stories.