Forced adoption is a deeply traumatic experience that has affected many Australians.
Hundreds of thousands of women had their babies taken by force or coercion due to past policies and practices that operated in Australia, predominately from the 1950s to 1970s.
Listen the bonus episode of The Secrets We Keep here:
In the podcast Secrets We Keep: Shame, Lies and Family, journalist Amelia Oberhardt found out about Australia’s dark history, and how the impacts are still being felt today.
In 1971-72, Australia recorded nearly 10,000 adoptions; adoption rates have steadily declined since then.
Danae Witherow found out she was adopted at age 50. Her parents met at a party in the US, and her mother came to Australia where she gave birth to Danae and put her up for adoption.
“My mother says it wasn’t forced. It was her choice. So to me, whether it was forced or not, it was forced on me. I didn’t have a choice.”
Click here to listen Danae’s full story:
If you have been affected by forced adoption or are searching for guidance and support around adoption generally, there are organisations and support services available in each state or territory.
Here is a list of organisations and their locations that offer post adoption support services