Forced Adoptions in Australia

Today, 21 March 2023 marks the 10th Anniversary of the Federal Apology for forced adoption practices, given by the Prime Minister of the time, Julia Gillard, on behalf of the Australian Government, on 21 March 2013.

We wanted to take this opportunity to share the thoughts of someone who was directly impacted by forced adoption practices in Australia.

The article below was written by Shane Bouel, an advocate for acknowledgment and justice.

Australia’s Dirty Laundry

The Stain of Forced Adoption in Australia’s History

Sorting the Stains:

The Impact of Forced Adoption

Full letter Here:

Open Letter to The Honourable Anthony Albanese MP.

Urgent Request for Attention to Ongoing Struggles of Those Affected by Forced Adoption

thoughtless-del.medium.com

Separating Whites from Colors:

Double Standards and Marginalization

Neglecting to Wash:

Government Failure to Take Responsibility

Airing the Dirty Laundry:

Urgent Need for Support and Acknowledgement

Will Australia address the need to do its laundry or will it continue to sit in its own filth?

Here are two simple things that would ease the burden on adoptees and their mental health:

  1. The issuance of Birth Certificates that state the correct relationship between guardians and birth parents. Past and current process remove any mention of biological family and implies that the adoptive family gave birth to the adoptee. This is how adoptive parents get away with not telling adoptive children that they’re adopted. Many people do not know that this is still a standard policy in today’s adoptions.
  2. Ease of access to no fault no fee discharges, so those of failed adoptions like myself are able to return to their family of origin. This would avoid going through extreme, unnecessary trauma, time and time again through lengthy excessively expensive court proceedings.

Adoptees nationally have been advocating for these changes to legislation state by state for decades to no avail.