The new mother — then 19 — had been living in a Catholic home near London for unmarried women who had committed the ultimate sin and become pregnant. A number of religious organizations, including the Catholic Church, the Church of England and the Salvation Army, oversaw these adoptions, before a 1976 change to the law gave the responsibility to local authorities. Several decades later, in the new ITV documentary, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales apologized for its role in the adoptions, which many of the women say were coerced. (Rex Features via AP)“We apologize for the hurt caused by agencies acting in the name of the Catholic Church,” Nichols said. Smith was 23 years old and unmarried when she became pregnant and was sent to a hostel run by the Catholic Church in Southern England.

Source: Washington Post November 03, 2016 09:41 UTC