Viewers of Long Lost Family were left furious with the church during last night’s (Wednesday, September 3) episode, as a mother and daughter were reunited after 68 years.
Fans of the show took to social media to slam the institution, with some going so far as to brand the situation “scandalous”.
What happened on Long Lost Family?
Last night’s edition of the show, hosted by Davina McCall, examined the Mother and Baby Home scandal.
Between the 1940s and the 1970s, an estimated 200,000 unmarried women, many of whom were teenagers, were placed in these homes to give birth to their children. Giving birth outisde wedlock was considered taboo at the time.
The women’s babies were then taken from them and put up for adoption. Many of the Mother and Baby Homes were run by religious groups.
An investigation found that hundreds of children died thanks to the conditions at the homes.
In last night’s episode, Jean, 85, expressed a desire to find out what happened to her daughter, whom she gave up for adoption when she was just a teenager.
At the age of just 16 in 1956, she was sent to the Good Shepherd Mother and Baby Home by her parents after she and her boyfriend, Tony, realised they were expecting.
The Good Shepherd Mother and Baby Home was established by a moral welfare association connected to the Church of England.
Jean’s story on Long Lost Family
After giving birth, Jean and Tony reluctantly took a 10-week-old Maria to the London offices of the Southwark Catholic Rescue Society.
Jean recalled how she “gave her to this woman who said we’d go and show her off. So I thought she’d bring her back and let us kiss her goodbye, but she didn’t.”
Jean wrote to the society when Maria turned 18 to see if there was any news about her daughter. “He wrote back and said no, but you’ll be reunited in heaven one day. And I thought oh, that’s a horrible thing to say to me,” she said.
“After all these years of not being able to find out, I just need an answer,” Jean said. “If she doesn’t want to see me, if she’s still alive, that’s OK, because I’ll know then that she’s alright.”
Reunion 68 years in the making
After months of searching, the episode saw Jean reunite with her daughter, who now goes by Cathy and lives in Ilford, London.
After an emotional reunion, Cathy said: “I feel so sorry for what she had to go through – all of that I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.
“My own daughter is unmarried and has a daughter who lives with us, and she’s a delight. I think it was an absolute disgrace the way women were treated in those days and how they were made to feel,” she then said.
Viewers take aim at the church
Viewers were left furious at the church’s role in the seperation of Jean and Cathy, and took to Twitter to voice their displeasure.
“#longlostfamily I know this will make me angry and sad in equal measure, the church has a lot to answer for, something needs to be done and be held accountable, it’s criminal. Those poor women,” one viewer tweeted.
“How on earth can anyone watch this and still feel inclined to set foot in a church?” another fumed.
“The church can [bleep] off! Hiding behind crosses you’ll never change the pain inflicted,” a third wrote.
“How did the church get away with this.? It’s utterly scandalous. All those responsible are probably dead and this just can’t ever happen again,” another added.
In a statement at the end of the episode, the Church of England expressed regret for the “pain and distress experienced by mothers and children connected to mother and baby homes, including any which were affiliated with the Church of England.”
Read more: Long Lost Family host Davina McCall accused of ‘weird’ behaviour towards foundling
Long Lost Family: The Mother and Baby Home Scandal is available to stream on ITVX.
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