Thousands of infants in Spain were abducted and given away. Now, a doctor will stand trial

Inés Madrigal was born premature in 1969 at Madrid’s San Ramon clinic, after which, she alleges, she was abducted by an obstetrician and given away without the consent of her birth mother. Madrigal suspects that she is one of Spain’s ninos robados — stolen babies who were taken from “unsuitable” mothers in the 20th century and given to parents deemed more loyal or more appropriate by the regime of dictator Francisco Franco.

This practice, which came to light in 2011, lasted more than seven decades and may have involved 30,000 children or more, experts say. During the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, this system of abduction was designed to weaken Marxist forces by depriving them of their offspring. Parents were often told that their babies had died at the operating table when, in fact, they had been given away. In the 1950s, this practice evolved to target low-income families and unmarried couples seen as inappropriate guardians of young children.

The abductions ended in the late 1980s, but thousands are seeking justice today. More than 2,000 cases of stolen children have been filed with Spanish prosecutors, CNN reported. Madrigal is one of them, and she took her obstetrician, Eduardo Vela, to court on Tuesday.  (more...)

Thousands of infants in Spain were abducted and given away. Now, a doctor will stand trial

Related:

Stolen Children -- Forgotten Victims