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Commission to probe homes nationwide
By John Downing
Herald
June 11, 2014
http://www.herald.ie/news/commission-to-probe-homes-nationwide-30344297.html
TAOISEACH Enda Kenny has said that the treatment of young women who had children outside of marriage was “an abomination” as he unveiled plans for a major state inquiry into religious-run mother and baby homes.
A commission will head up an investigation into the deaths at homes across the country in the wake of the discovery of a mass grave at Tuam, Children’s Affairs Minister, Charlie Flanagan (inset) said.
He said the inquiry will
cover the infant mortality rate, vaccines, medical trials, the geographic spread of these institutions and the legal
complexities.
The Taoiseach said the
inquiry will examine the shameful past of Irish society rather than apportion blame.
“This was Ireland of the twenties to the sixties — an Ireland that might be portrayed as a glorious and brilliant past, but in its shadows contained all of these personal cases, where people felt ashamed,” he said.
“It is not an exaggeration to say that in many cases their treatment, and that of their babies, was an abomination,” the Taoiseach said to the Dail.
Mr Flanagan conceded that the question of compensation ultimately may arise.
The commission may be headed by a judge or former judge and the minister said an emphasis will be placed on delivering a timely report at a reasonable cost to taxpayers.
The minister hoped that the commission can be established before the Dail and Seanad take summer holidays in late July.
welcome
The planned commission of inquiry was given a guarded welcome by the opposition parties, human rights organisations and by campaigners for adoption equality last night.
The Catholic bishops also welcomed the move and apologised for the church’s role.
“Sadly we are being reminded of a time when unmarried mothers were often judged, stigmatised and rejected by society, including the church,” a bishops’ statement said.
“It is important that the commission, and all of us, approach these matters with compassion, determination and objectivity,” the bishops added.
The Catholic bishops also said that the investigation should inquire into how these homes were funded and how adoptions were organised.
Up to 35,000 unmarried mothers are believed to have spent time in 10 homes run by religious orders in Ireland from the foundation of the State up to the 1980s.
This inquiry follows massive national and international publicity about a home in Tuam, Co Galway, run by the Sisters of the Bon Secours, where the remains of 796 infants are believed to be buried. Some bodies appear to lie in the remnants of a former septic tank.
Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, said the inquiry is a first step in establishing the truth about the homes.
“Uncovering the dark history of how we treated unmarried mothers and their children is vital for us to truly understand our past,” she said.
hnews@herald.ie
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