 The next item of business is a statement by Nicola Sturgeon on historical adoption practices. The First Minister will take questions at the end of her statement, and so there should be no interventions or interruptions. The issue of a formal apology is an action reserved by governments as a response to the worst injustices in our history. Without doubt, the adoption practices that prevailed in this country for decades during the 20th century fit that description. For the people affected by those practices, I appreciate that an apology has been a very long time coming. One of the most ardent campaigners for it has been Marian McMillan. In the mid-1960s, Marian was a teenager living in Strunrar. When she became pregnant, she was sent to a mother-in-baby home in the north of England. Marian has described the horror of having her son taken away from her. I remember crying and telling them, but I'm his mummy and begging them not to take my son. I was told not to be silly. I'd get over it, and I could always have other babies when I was married. Elspeth Ross faced her own ordeal. In 1962, she gave birth to her son in a mother-in-baby home in Glasgow. After I had my son, I was in the nursery for six weeks looking after him, but nobody told me they were taking him away. I was upstairs the very last day and told to pack my bags and go, not knowing that I was never seeing my son again. In 1979, General Farmer gave birth at the age of 22. She had recounted the moment in the hospital when she was told that her baby was being adopted. I was treated in quite humiliating ways from the outset. I didn't understand at that time that I had lost the decision that the decision had been made for me. I didn't understand that until the social worker appeared after the birth. The horror of what happened to these women is almost impossible to comprehend. It is the stuff of nightmares, yet these were not isolated cases far from it. Until the late 1970s, forced adoption was a relatively common practice in Scotland. Many thousands of children were subject to it. In most cases, their mothers were young or unmarried. They were stigmatised as a result, and they were forced or coerced into the adoption process by charities, churches, health professionals and social services. Some mothers suffered physical mistreatment or abuse. Some were denied appropriate healthcare Up until the early 1970s, mothers in some cases were given still bistro, a drug that dried up their breast milk and which is potentially carcinogenic. Virtually all of the mothers were made to feel worthless. Among many falsehoods, they were told that they had nothing to offer their child except state benefits. They were told that, without adoption, their child would grow up a delinquent and that they were selfish for wanting to keep their baby because they would be denying them a so-called better life. Consistently, mothers were lied to about the adoption process. They were given no information about what was happening when they did object. They were bullied or ignored. Some women were never even allowed to hold their babies. Most never got the chance to say a proper goodbye, and many were threatened with terrible consequences if they ever tried to make contact with their child. For these mothers, it was a living nightmare, a nightmare from which they have never truly been able to wake. The grief, heartbreak and shame of what happened has been a constant throughout their lives. Many have had to bear this trauma in silence for fear of other people's judgment or pity. It has affected their relationships with subsequent children, partners and family and friends. For many, it has created serious mental health impacts that persist to this very day. For the sons and daughters who were taken, of course, the impacts have also been profound. It is important to say and to say very clearly that many of them went to loving homes. Acknowledging these injustices should never be seen as a rejection of the deep bonds that people share with their adopted families. Nothing can ever invalidate the love that these families have for one another. It is also clear that many of those affected far too many had a very different experience. We know that some will always have lacked a sense of belonging. Some may even have suffered mistreatment or abuse. All of them will have grown up believing that their mothers chose to put them up for adoption of their own free will. Understandably, that has affected them and yet it was never true. As adults, the practical difficulties of accessing adoption records have been a further torment. Even when families have been able to reconnect, that in itself has brought huge emotional challenges. Sometimes the search has ended in further heartache when the person being looked for is already deceased. For the fathers affected, there has also been great suffering. They too lost a child. They too had their rights denied by a system that ignored and dehumanised them. There is good reason to believe that some mothers were not even allowed to put the father's names on the birth certificate, a permanent obstacle to reuniting with their son or daughter. Of course, the impact of what happened has been felt more widely by the loved ones of everyone involved. The legacy of those practices continues to affect generations of families in this country and beyond. It is a level of injustice that is hard now for us to comprehend. Today, how do we even begin to explain how such appalling acts could take place? Obviously, they were the product of a society where women were regarded as second-class citizens, where unmarried mothers were stigmatised and where people in authority had too much power. We also know that similar practices happened in other countries, but that does not, for a moment, excuse the appalling mistreatment people suffered, nor does it absolve the individuals and institutions involved. After all, it is not just in hindsight that those practices are wrong. Mistreating women and forcing them to part with their babies was never right. It was always cruel, unjust and profoundly wrong. There is a line of argument that says that because the Government of the time did not support those practices, there is nothing to apologise for. Anyway, those events took place long ago before this Parliament reconvened and anyone in this chamber held public office, but those are not reasons to stay silent. Ultimately, it is the state that is morally responsible for setting standards and protecting people. As modern representatives of the state, I believe that we, amongst others, have a special responsibility to the people affected. First, we have a responsibility to do whatever we can to support them in dealing with the legacy of what happened. That is why last year the Scottish Government established specialist support and counselling services for those affected by historical adoption practices. At the same time, we launched a consultation asking people affected to share their experiences. I want to take this opportunity today to thank everyone who responded. We have since commissioned a study that will report later this summer on how we can improve the support that people can access from psychological support to help in reuniting with family members. We will continue to explore with those affected the key challenges that they face with regard to adoption records and the lasting health impacts that are faced by mothers who were given still bestraw. On that final point, I want to emphasise again today the importance of women attending routine breast and cervical screening appointments. Another responsibility we have to them, of course, is to provide an assurance that the lessons of this period have been learned. There is no doubt that adoption practices and our society in general have come a long way in the decades since, but we can never ever allow ourselves to be complacent. At all times, we must ensure that the services that are meant to protect families fulfil that role as effectively and compassionately as possible. That is why this Government is so focused on delivering the conclusions of the independent care review, the promise that emphasises the importance where possible of keeping families together. More generally, we need to continue to build a society where women and girls are treated equally and where everyone's human rights are respected. That has always been a central mission of this Government and it is how we ensure that such injustices never happen again. The final way in which we can keep faith with those affected is more symbolic but no less meaningful for that. It is something that has been campaigned for tirelessly over many years by many of the people seated in our gallery today, and it is a cause that I know has been championed by members across this chamber. As a Government and a Parliament, we can set the record straight, we can acknowledge the terrible wrongs that were done and we can say with one voice that we are sorry. Today, as First Minister, on behalf of the Scottish Government, I say directly to the mothers who had their babies taken away from them, to the sons and daughters who were separated from their parents, to the fathers who were denied their rights and to the families who have lived with the legacy. For the decades of pain that you have suffered, I offer today a sincere, heartfelt and unreserved apology. We are sorry. No words can ever make up for what has happened to you, but I hope that this apology will bring you some measure of solace. It is the very least that you deserve and it is long overdue. Thank you. The First Minister will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow around 20 minutes for questions after which we will move on. I will be grateful of all members who wish to ask a question where to press their request to speak buttons now. I would like to thank the First Minister for advance sight of her statement. I begin by associating the Scottish Conservatives with the statement made by Nicola Sturgeon. We are joined in the chamber by the courageous campaigners of historic force adoption. Today we would not have been possible without them and their determination to seek a sincere national apology after 60,000 women were forced to give up their babies for adoption simply because they were young or unmarried. Although a national apology cannot right the wrongs of the past, but for those suffering lifelong trauma it will be the start of a healing process. My only regret is that many campaigners have sadly died before this apology was made. We need to make sure that this part of history will never repeat itself and that we protect the rights of women and children in Scotland. In relation to the commission's study, can I ask the First Minister if this will be trauma informed and that the support being offered is meaningful and needs-based? I thank Megan Gallacher for her question and for associating her party with the apology that has been offered today. Let me give an assurance that, although I recognise and understand completely the importance of offering an apology today, it is, in many respects, not the end of this process. There is much work still to do to understand the impact of these horrendous practices, but also to ensure that we offer as much appropriate support as we can in the months and years to come for those who are still dealing with the impact of that trauma. I give a commitment today that any work done by the Scottish Government will always be trauma informed and that we will work to ensure and do this together with those in the gallery, campaigners and everyone across our country that has been affected by these practices to ensure that the support that they need now and in the future is provided. I know that this is something that the person who succeeds me as First Minister will give as much importance to as I and my Government have done. Can I thank the First Minister for her formal apology and on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party echo her remarks? We believe that there are an estimated 60,000 Scottish mothers who are compelled to give up a baby for adoption simply because they were unmarried in the 50s, 60s and even into the 70s. Those cruelties are among the most appalling of injustices that our society has inflicted on women and their children. Marion McMillan from Paisley is one of those mothers. She is now in her 70s and terminally ill. Her wish is that the victims in Scotland receive the apology that they deserve, and I welcome her and all the other women who have bravely campaigned for so long to the public gallery. Marion has of course worked with other victims of forced adoption from around the world. She has reunited mothers with children and has given evidence that helped to secure the world's first Government apology for forced adoption, which was in Australia in 2013. We commend the brave and tireless work of Marion and all the other campaigners, but let me also pay tribute to Marion Scott at the Sunday Post for her very tenacious support for these women. MSPs from across parties have lobbied the Scottish Government. It was, of course, Neil Bibby that first raised this way back in 2015, and the issue has been taken up since by my colleague Monica Lennon and indeed others. It is right and beyond time that there is a formal apology in Scotland for the injustice of forced adoption and to confront this shameful chapter in Scotland's history. For some, the apology will bring closure for others. It is the start, not the end. Will the First Minister therefore commit her Government to a firm timetable beyond the study that will give these women and their children access to appropriate health services, including trauma-informed counselling and easier access to adoption records? I thank Jackie Baillie for her question and I thank the Scottish Labour Party for associating themselves with today's apology. Members across the chamber have campaigned for the apology that has been offered today. I, too, would make particular mention of Monica Lennon, who has done a great deal to advance this cause. One of the many tragedies of this situation is that we do not know for certain how many were affected by forced adoption practices. According to the national record of Scotland statistics from 1930 until 1979, there were approximately 73,000 adoptions recorded in Scotland, but there is no data available for this period to tell us how many of those adoptions occurred without the birth mother's informed consent. Not knowing the precise data is, as I say, one of the many tragedies of this, we also know that there are many mothers who were forced to give up their babies in Scotland who now live in other countries. I know, for example, that we have at least one person from Australia with us in the public gallery today, so the impact of this, the depth of this and the suffering from this is impossible for any of us to properly quantify. That is what makes it so important that we do firstly issue this apology, but secondly make sure that we continue to work with those affected. I again pay tribute to the women with us in the gallery today and to the many others, some of whom will no longer be with us, who, out of their own trauma and suffering, have campaigned for justice and to stop this ever-happening to others. It is absolutely essential that we work to identify the appropriate support, and that part of the process is really important. Then, as Government, implement that support across all the different areas that are necessary as quickly as possible. As everyone knows, this time next week there will be a new First Minister here, and whoever that is, I have no doubt that they will give this the same commitment as my Government has, and I'm sure all of us across this chamber will be doing everything we can to hold the Government to account on that. Rona Mackay, to be followed by Miles Briggs. Thank you, Presiding Officer. This is a momentous day for at least 60,000 mothers who were forced to give up their child, not least of all Mary McMillan and the other brave campaigners who've spent their lives fighting this heartbreaking injustice. Does the First Minister agree with me that this dark period in our history should never be forgotten, and should inspire progressive policies to ensure nothing like this ever happens again? Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with this. This is a historic practice, but we must never be complacent. We must make sure that every single day that we are guarding against any injustice like this ever, ever happening again. That's why some of the wider work that the Scottish Government is doing is so important. I referenced in my statement the independent care review and the promise that came from that. This Government is committed to keeping the promise. We must also continue our work to lift children out of poverty. Sadly, we know that children growing up in poverty are more likely to be removed from their families, which is why our package of support, not least the Scottish child payment, is important in that respect, too. We must never be complacent. We must ensure that we do all that we can to tackle gender inequality and inequality to protect the human rights of everyone, because only if we do all of that can we build the better society that all of us want. Miles Briggs, to be followed by Emma Roddick. Today is important. I would like to pay tribute to all the campaigners in cross-party working, especially with Neil Bibby, Monica Lennon and Marion Scott, who has also been mentioned to make today happen. Mothers, fathers and adult adoptees have lived with this life-long trauma, not often being able to develop and maintain relationships with the total feeling of rejection. Today is just the start of a healing process, but also a wider exposure of the medical practices that took place in our country during these times. The use of still bestural DES, as the First Minister has stated, has had lasting negative health impacts, which need to be addressed and awareness raised around the impact the use of these drugs has had on mothers and children. Can I ask the First Minister what role the chief medical officer in Scotland will now have to investigate and take forward work on the medical practices used during this time, and additional advice that will now be given to mothers and adult adoptees? All of us have the almost sympathy for any woman who had their child forcibly taken away, but that is added to the sympathy that we have for the women who were prescribed still bestural. It is important that they have access to the support and the advice that they need. The chief medical officer, of course, will offer such advice always on an independent clinical basis, and I am sure that the chief medical officer would be happy to correspond further with members about any advice that he considers appropriate. Of course, the most recent guidance that was produced by the United Kingdom Health Security Agency is that routine cervical screening is appropriate for those who believe that they were exposed to this drug, and that applies in Scotland. In terms of lasting health impacts, I want to emphasise again today, as I did in my statement, the importance of women attending both routine breast and routine cervical screening appointments. There is no doubt whatsoever that the medical practices compounded the injustice that women face, and that is one of the reasons why today's apology is so important and so long overdue. I also thank the First Minister for her very powerful words, which are crucially backed up by a range of actions from the Scottish Government to support those who have been affected. I ask her for an assurance that the Scottish Government will continue to place lived experience at the heart of its approach to helping those who have been impacted by historic adoption practices. I will give that assurance, and I think that I can give that assurance with confidence on behalf of whoever succeeds me as First Minister. Over my years as First Minister, I have become ever more convinced about the indispensability of lived experience in all of our policymaking, but there are probably few areas where lived experience matters more than on this one. I do not think that any of us in this chamber, while our hearts are filled with sympathy on behalf of the women who suffered this injustice, none of us can comprehend what that was like. Therefore, making sure that we hear directly from those who are still with us and who feel able to contribute that lived experience is absolutely essential. I give that commitment, and I know whoever comes after me will honour that commitment, because it is so important. A veil of silence has been lifted today, so I add my voice to thanking the First Minister for making a apology on behalf of the Scottish Government and, indeed, on behalf of Scotland. This is a day of mixed emotions. Some people have been name checked already, but I look around the gallery, and I see that Marion is here, and Janet is here. Evelyn Robinson has, indeed, travelled from Australia with her son, who was born in this city in 1970 and was taken from his mother. It is a difficult day for other adult adoptees. I know that Esther, Fiona and Marjorie are here and so many more. There will be people today not even realising that they too have been affected by this. There are so many survivors. There have been so many good questions already, but I want to ask the First Minister. She agrees that, after today, not just as a Government but as a Parliament, we continue to work together on this issue to educate ourselves, because it was a lack of compassion and it was prejudice and it was complacency that made this happen. This week is a week when we are celebrating single parent families in Scotland, and when I was speaking to some media today I said that this happened because women did not have a wedding ring on their finger. We cannot be complacent. There are people today who will say, why are we not talking about the 1980s and later dates, because, as we heard from Lisa today about her experience, that happened in 1982, the year after I was born. What can we do to continue to educate the people of Scotland about this? There has been a call to record some of this history in the Glasgow Women's Library. What else can we do, First Minister, to make sure that there is no complacency and that it never again can something like this happen in Scotland? I thank Monica Lennon for that question and for all she has done to bring us to where we are today. Miles Briggs and Neil Bibby have been referenced, too. I quoted very deliberately some women in my statement because their words can give an understanding to the horror of this much, much more than any words of mine can. However, I am conscious in quoting some women that there are many, many more who were not quoted. I want to pay tribute to every woman, not just here in the gallery today, but every woman who suffered this injustice. It is important that we recognise that Monica Lennon talks about 1982. We know that this was a routine practice up until the late 1970s. That does not mean that it did not happen at all after that. It is also important to recognise that, as we describe this as historical, we recognise that it is recent history that we are talking about. Monica Lennon was referencing the man who I know is with us from Australia, but he was born in 1970. I was born in 1970 to a young mother. This is not history that is way, way past. This is in our lifetimes. That should also remind us and underline the importance of not being complacent. Unfortunately, we frequently discover across a whole range of issues that injustices that we thought were long gone can reoccur if we are not vigilant and if we do not guard against that. We must continue to learn. We must, on issues like this, I hope, continue to stand together. We must find ways, while trying to bring some closure for those who suffered, to also finding ways to remember. I have heard suggestions of a memorial in the Glasgow Women's Library. I cannot speak for the library, it is an institution that I have huge affection and respect for, but I think that we should be open to all of these suggestions to make sure that we deliver as much justice as we possibly can but that we never forget and we allow these horrendous experiences to stand as reminders of what happens if we do not remember the value of our common humanity and if we do not protect what matters most in our society. I again give a commitment today, knowing that it will be somebody else who takes it forward but in confidence that this chamber will stay united in making sure that we do learn those lessons and that we find the most appropriate ways of delivering support and always remembering. First Minister, my constituent Fiona Henderson has been in regular contact with my office and I have been working with her. I believe that she is in the chamber today for some months now. I should point out that I have asked her and she is happy to use her name in this question. Her name pre-adoption was Samantha Jane Penfold and her adoption has caused her severe trauma and anguish. I am asking this question on behalf of her and all those other adoptees who are suffering likewise. The First Minister addressed the difficulties about access to adoption records. Will I recognise the sensitivities that exist in relation to this matter? The adult adoptees have been waiting a very long time for help. What assurance can the First Minister give that the Scottish Government and its agencies are continuing to work with parents and adoptees to understand and hopefully overcome the barriers to accessing those adoption records? My statement today is very deliberate and I think rightly directed an apology to mothers who had their children taken away to fathers who lost their children to but also to the children who were adopted as a result of those practices. It is important that as we move forward from today we give support to everyone whose lives were affected. That, of course, does mean that we continue to support those who want and have had difficulties accessing adoption records. Unfortunately, as we all know, some complexities are involved in all of this, but it is important, nevertheless, that we overcome those complexities. I want to give an assurance today that we will continue to do that. In the meantime, National Records of Scotland will continue to provide access and assistance in line with current legislation. Any changes here will need to be carefully considered, but I want to give an assurance today that we are listening and will continue to listen to the very important and valid calls that are being made for improvements in this area. I thank the First Minister for advance sight of her statement and on behalf of Scottish Liberal Democrats echo its sentiments. Tens of thousands of Scottish women had their child forcibly taken from them and adopted and I express my sympathy to all those who had to live with this wrong. The First Minister's formal apology acknowledges that the state was wrong and that it will not change what has happened, the pain or the hurt or the injustice, but I hope that it brings some comfort. Does the First Minister agree with me that it is incumbent on all of us to uphold women's and girls' human rights, ensuring that practices like this never happen again? I thank Beatrice Wishart for her question and for associating the Scottish Liberal Democrats with the apology offered today. I think that her question goes to the heart of this issue. Those practices were able to happen because of the inequality of women in our society and therefore part of making sure that injustices like this never happen again is to continue to progress and advance and secure women's equality. That is a responsibility for all of us, but it is a fundamental part of what we must do to recognise what happened in the past and to ensure that it can never happen again in the future. I thank the First Minister for her statement and apology today. It is very welcome. To ask the First Minister what support will be provided for those who have been impacted by forced adoption and to allow some closure. I have a special responsibility to those affected to do whatever we can to support them in dealing with the legacy of what happened. We are, for example, already funding the charity Health and Mind to establish specialist peer support groups to provide support services that will be person-centred, trauma-informed and crucially run by those with lived experience. We have commissioned a scoping study, as has been referenced already today, to explore further the support that those affected need to assist them in the recovery process. All of that will help us to understand where we need to improve, introduce or enhance the services that are available to better meet the needs and expectations of those affected. I give an assurance again today that the Government is committed to that wider work. I thank the First Minister for her statement and apology for giving voice to some of the women affected by this abhorrent practice. I associate myself and the Scottish Greens with the Scottish Government's fulsome apology. The First Minister has indicated that some of those affected have already left Scotland. Some will have made a positive choice to go. Some will have felt they had no option but to leave the place that caused them so much shame and guilt. Can the First Minister confirm that the study that is currently under way includes how best to work internationally across state boundaries to support reuniting families, and that it will include learning from how this has been done successfully elsewhere and that we can share experiences so that others can learn from us too? I thank Maggie Chapman for her question and for associating the Scottish Green Party with today's statement. She raises an important issue. Many people who are subject to these historical practices will no longer be here in Scotland, and therefore it is important that we ensure that the work that we are doing is where possible brought to their attention. For example, further to delivery of the statement, we will be distributing copies to the networks of campaigners who we have engaged with throughout this work, including those who live abroad, so that they can issue to their members. I would like to thank all of them again for their engagement today. It is also important that we continue to learn from other countries where that is appropriate. It has already been referenced today that an apology was issued in Australia some years ago. There will be examples of best practice elsewhere that it is important that we identify and learn from, as well as, as I hope, here in Scotland, offering some best practice for others to learn from too. I align myself with comments of adoration for campaigners. The First Minister will be aware that I am as passionate as anyone about these issues as an adoptive parent. I cannot imagine going through this process to find out that the adoption was forced. Having spoken to adult adoptees, they are looking for a comprehensive collection of relevant data and a commitment to develop specific funding mechanisms for bespoke, developmental trauma-informed therapies. Assurances have been given, but I will ask again as one backbencher to a soon-to-be backbencher will the First Minister support and work with me to push for these fundamental changes with the new First Minister so that all those voices are finally heard through Parliament? I certainly give a commitment that this is an issue. I will continue to seek to advocate from the backbenches of this chamber. It is not possible—and I know many members across the chamber have been involved in this issue for longer than I have—but it is not possible to do the work required leading up to the statement today without finding a place very deep in your heart and developing a determination to continue to do everything possible to deliver as much justice as possible for those affected. As I said earlier on, because adult adoptees were referenced in that question, the apology delivered today is directed to all those who suffered as a result of these abhorrent adoption practices from mothers and fathers to the sons and daughters who grew up without their parents. There is a range of support that those affected need now and will need in the future. It is important that we go through a proper process of identifying what support is most appropriate and then making sure that we act to deliver it. I have been privileged to be part of this as First Minister and I am absolutely determined that I will continue to play my part from the backbenches of this chamber. This is a historic day for those impacted by the inhumane practice of forced adoption. The First Minister really did speak for the people of Scotland with a statement that was jupped with just and made with compassion. My constituent, Jan O'Farmer, welcomes this apology and raises the point that many impacted now live out with Scotland. Obviously, the First Minister has outlined the steps, but can you maybe expand on that? I think that it is important to recognise that many will no longer live in Scotland and therefore we have a responsibility to make efforts. First, to ensure that today's apology reaches all those to whom the apology is directed, wherever in the world they may now be living. I give an assurance that the Scottish Government will take all reasonable practical steps to make sure that that is the case. Secondly, to make sure that, as we are developing further the support services that are necessary, access to those support services and knowledge of them is also extended to people in other parts of the world. We will continue to do everything that we reasonably can to ensure that that is the case. The last thing that I would say in response to that question is that I am under no illusion that an apology, however heartfelt it is, is very heartfelt. I speak on behalf of all of us in this chamber when I say so. It can undo the harm, the damage, the trauma, the heartbreak that has been suffered. There is still much work to do to try to address that in whatever ways we can. I know that the Government will continue to be very committed to doing exactly that. The First Minister will be aware that Mario and other campaigners have called for a permanent memorial to be erected here in Scotland. Has the Scottish Government thought of erecting such a permanent monument to remember the stark moment of Scottish history, and is this something that can be taken forward on a cross-party basis? Thank you to Jeremy Baill for his question. I reference his briefly in response to Monica Lennon. Today is first and foremost about an apology. It is important that, in this chamber today, that is what we focus on. This apology has been a long time coming, and it is vital today that we allow the space for that apology to be received and understood. It is also right that we consider further important steps that we can take. We have talked a lot this afternoon and I have spoken a lot about the further support that we must now develop and make available. Part of that is considering proposals for an exhibition or a memorial. I think that it would be wrong for me to pre-empt a proper process of consideration by stating anything definitively today, but I am very happy to say that the mind of the Government is open to this, and it is one of the issues that we will seek to further discussions on with those impacted by those practices.