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Government issues profound apology over historic mass graves for stillborn babies
Overview
Health Secretary Yvette Cooper has issued a profound apology in the House of Commons to parents whose stillborn babies were buried in mass, unmarked graves without their knowledge prior to the 1980s. The historic practice affected more than 1,000 babies in Wirral and over 270 in Oldham, leaving many parents without information or a say regarding their children's remains.
Key points
- Health Secretary Yvette Cooper apologized in the House of Commons for the historic practice of burying stillborn babies in mass graves without parental knowledge.
- Before the 1980s, hospital staff routinely took away stillborn babies and buried them in communal or unconsecrated graves.
- Over 1,000 babies were buried in unmarked graves in Wirral, and more than 270 were found in a mass burial ground in Oldham.
- Parent Gina Jacobs discovered her son Robert was buried in a shared grave 53 years after his stillbirth in 1969, prompting wider campaigns for justice and answers.