The Scottish and UK governments are facing calls to compensate the victims of forced adoption.
A lawyer representing some of the victims in Scotland said financial help and specialist support must be made available to mothers who were forced to give up their babies.
Patrick McGuire, a senior partner with Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, welcomed Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s formal apology to victims in England and Wales on Thursday, three years after the Scottish Government issued its own apology.
But he said ministers must now go further by introducing compensation and long-term support for those affected.
To all those affected by the appalling injustice of forced adoption, we are deeply and profoundly sorry.
The shame is not yours. The shame was never yours. pic.twitter.com/TiWTumO7TN
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 2, 2026
He said: “It is to be welcomed that the Prime Minister is today apologising to victims of forced adoption in England and Wales following the example of the Scottish Government from three years ago.
“But fine words from both governments is no substitute for fast and effective action.
“We need to see proper help and support put in place for victims, along the lines of provisions that were put in place for those affected by infected blood.
“That means a proper scheme for medical and psychological support and a proper financial compensation scheme.”
Speaking on the BBC’s Radio Scotland Breakfast programme, campaigner Marion McMillan, who lost her first-born son to forced adoption when she was just 17, described how unmarried mothers had been systematically coerced into giving up their children.
“You’ve got to cast your mind back to that era in the history of adoption,” she said. “We were forced.”
Ms McMillan said the women were given no meaningful choice and were subjected to extreme pressure to give up their babies, accusing authorities of “relentless brainwashing” and calling the scandal Scotland’s “hidden history”.
She said: We were like lambs to the slaughter. We had no voice, and we just did as we were told.”
She described the lifelong psychological impact of losing her son, saying: “The trauma is there constantly,” before adding: “You feel utterly worthless and you’re absolutely broken”.
Although she said the Scottish Government’s apology in 2023 had been significant, she stressed many victims still lack access to specialist support.
“For the first time in my life, I heard somebody saying they were sorry for what happened,” she said of the apology delivered by then first minister Nicola Sturgeon.
But she said there are still many men and women in need of psychological support
On Thursday, Sir Keir apologised in the House of Commons on behalf of the UK Government, describing the forced adoption of babies from unmarried mothers as “a stain on our history”.
The Prime Minister said “tens of thousands of mothers, children and families” had been failed by systems across local authorities, faith organisations and health services.
He said mothers had been “coerced, bullied, or misled into feeling that they had no choice” but to give up their children.
He told victims: “The shame was never yours, the shame is ours.”
While the Scottish Government and Welsh Government issued formal apologies in 2023, Thursday marked the first official apology by the Westminster Government.
It is estimated around 60,000 unmarried women in Scotland were forced to give up their babies for adoption in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
It is believed around 185,000 babies of unmarried mothers were adopted in England and Wales between 1949 and 1976.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Following our national apology in March 2023, in which we recognised the lifelong impact of historic forced adoption on mothers, adoptees and families, the Scottish Government has taken a range of actions to support those affected.
“This includes £200,000 over five years for Health in Mind to provide trauma-informed peer support and counselling, and £270,000 to Birthlink over the past two years to deliver the Adoption Contact Register and intermediary services.
“Access to records has also been strengthened through National Records of Scotland and the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, which provide free access to records and practical support.
“Throughout our engagement, people with lived experience have consistently highlighted the importance of recognition of the harm caused, access to records, support for recovery and assistance with family tracing and reunions.
“Our response has focused on delivering those forms of support and ensuring services are available for those affected.”
The UK Government has been approached for comment.
