Senate calls inquiry into forced adoptions

Posted Mon Nov 15, 2010 9:30pm AEDT

The Senate is to inquire into the Commonwealth's role in the forced adoption policies from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Greens Senator Rachel Siewert has won support of the Senate for the issue to be considered by the Community Affairs References Committee.

There have been calls for a national inquiry into the practice of forcing unwed mothers to give up their babies.

Western Australia's Parliament has already issued a formal apology to women affected by the practice.

Tags: community-and-society, family-and-children, adoption, history, government-and-politics, federal-government,20th-century, australia