PM thanked for apology

An Albany woman hugged the Prime Minister last Thursday to thank her for apologising publicly to victims of forced adoption practices.

Judith Hendriksen said she felt a deep peace during Julia Gillard’s speech in Canberra which acknowledged the “lifelong legacy of pain and suffering” caused by the practices.

Ms Hendriksen is one of an estimated 150,000 unwed Australian women who had their infants taken from them between the 1940s and 1970s under a practice sanctioned by governments, churches, hospitals, charities and bureaucrats.

She was joined by about 800 people to hear the apology.

“Today, this parliament, on behalf of the Australian people, takes responsibility and apologises for the policies and practices that forced the separation of mothers from their babies which created a lifelong legacy of pain and suffering,” Ms Gillard said.

“We deplore the shameful practices that denied you, the mothers, your fundamental rights and responsibilities to love and care for your children.”

In 1973, Ms Hendriksen was sent to Sisters of Mercy in Perth after a Catholic doctor in her home town of Katanning told her adoption was the only option.

She gave birth on her 17th birthday at St Anne’s Hospital in Mt Lawley and was immediately made to give up her baby.

Ms Hendriksen, now 56, said she worked her way through the crowd in order to give the Prime Minister a hug.

“It was wonderful, (Ms Gillard) validated what we had been through,” she said.

“It was very emotional, I was thinking of all the women and children we lost to suicide.”

Ms Hendriksen said the apology would not make up for the priceless loss of her daughter.

Also announced was $5 million worth of funding to improve access to specialist support, records tracing and mental health care for those affected.