LONDON (AP) — The British government will make a formal apology on Thursday for separating tens of thousands of unmarried mothers from their babies, a practice that lasted for decades

The British government plans to formally apologize for separating unmarried mothers from their babies, a practice that lasted until the 1970s.

Between 1949 and 1976, an estimated 185,000 babies were taken from unmarried mothers and placed for adoption in England and Wales