Thousands endured the trauma of forced adoptions

Thousands of Irish women have endured the trauma of forced adoptions, writes Conall Ó Fátharta

THE release of the Oscar- nominated film Philomena is finally encouraging women who were forced to give their children up for adoption and adopted people to speak out and demand answers from the State.

If one lesson should be taken from the film, it’s that there are thousands of women like Philomena Lee in Ireland, many of whom have never told their story, many living in fear or shame of speaking about how they were forced to give their children up for adoption, in some cases illegally and without adequate consent.