Shame, Lies & Family - In the child’s best interest

At its peak in the early 1970s, almost 200 babies per week were adopted in Australia. It’s impossible to know how many of these adoptions involved coercion, but we do know that it was a time many believed single women were incapable of looking after their children. In this episode, Amelia Oberhardt looks at how this system was allowed to operate, and what lead to forced adoption ending.  If you would like to share your story, email secretswekeep@sca.com.au Forced Adoption Support Service: 1800 21 03 13 Featured: Patricia Farrar - Mother, PhD Shurlee Swain - Emeritus Professor, Australian Catholic University  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Om Podcasten

Each season, Secrets We Keep investigates a different Australian secret.    By Any Means (Season 6): An investigation into the modern fertility landscape, confronting complex questions about consent, identity and human rights. Available only on the LiSTNR app from April 14.  Should I Spit? (Season 5): The origin story of the multibillion dollar consumer DNA industry. From police hoping to solve cold murder cases, to one of the most powerful churches in the world, everyone seems to want a piece of what makes you, you.  Pray Harder (Season 4): investigative journalist Richard Baker uncovers the unbelievable and compelling true story of Australia’s oldest and most hard line Pentecostal Church, the Geelong Revival Centre.  Baghdad Nights (Season 3): Richard Baker takes you inside Australia's biggest corruption scandal, finding out how Australia funded a dictator in the lead up to the Iraq War.  Nest of Traitors (Season 2): Joey Watson is pulled into the world of espionage, attempting to track down an Australian spy who turned to work for the enemy during the Cold War.  Shame Lies & Family (Season 1): A mystery photo of Amelia Oberhardt’s mum exposes the practice of shotgun marriages, forced adoption, and quiet abortions carried out in Australia until the 1980s.