“Buried in silence” - MP demands justice for families grieving stillborn babies

Wiltshire MP, Sarah Gibson, has spoken out following deeply distressing revelations that over 89,000 stillborn babies were buried in unmarked communal graves across the UK - many without the knowledge or consent of grieving families.

Freedom of information requests have revealed that stillborn babies buried before the late 1990s were often placed in shared plots without ceremony, record, or memorial. Families were frequently told they could not attend the burial, or in some cases, were never informed of it at all. 

After being contacted by a local resident whose sister was buried in an unmarked grave, the Liberal Democrat MP for Chippenham has tabled a parliamentary motion calling on the Government to act with urgency, compassion, and transparency.

After securing cross party support for her parliamentary motion, Sarah Gibson MP said:

“John, a constituent of mine, contacted me about his family’s situation last year. In the 1960’s, John’s mother gave birth to a stillborn girl who was then buried in an unmarked grave. I was really moved by John’s story and the impact that not having a place to grieve had had on him and his family. 

“I feel strongly that is a national tragedy that has remained hidden for far too long. For decades, grieving parents were denied the dignity of mourning, the right to say goodbye, or even to know where their baby was laid to rest. These are not just statistics; these are children, and this is trauma that families have carried in silence for generations.”

“I have launched a campaign, starting with a motion to Parliament, calling for better recognition for babies buried in unmarked graves, and for better support for grieving families.

“My motion calls for government support in helping local authorities identify burial records, install commemorative plaques or memorials in cemeteries, to ensure families can finally have a place to remember their child. John’s family is one of many who deserve support and I am so grateful to him for raising his experience with me.

Sarah Gibson MP urges the Government to respond with urgency, compassion, and transparency:

“The state played a role in this injustice. It must now play a role in healing. Memorialisation is not a luxury.  We owe it to every family who left the hospital with empty arms and unanswered questions.”

John added:

“Mum and Dad had no idea where their daughter was buried, they were never told. As no birth certificate was required for a stillborn there was, unlike today, no funeral, no goodbye and ultimately no closure.

“Our sister is one of untold thousands of babies buried in almost every cemetery in the UK under grassed areas that are uneven, where there are no markers. These areas are tended by dedicated council employees many of whom know why these patches of green deserve to be well maintained.

“Let’s hope that one day soon all these uneven grass patches will have a modest memorial acknowledging that they did indeed exist, and they were loved.”