); We can t just say it s too difficult : Could criminal investigations into Ireland s mother and baby homes happen?
There have been calls for investigations following the publication of a long-awaited report this week. By Stephen McDermott Sunday 17 Jan 2021, 12:05 AM Jan 17th 2021, 12:05 AM 24,588 Views 43 Comments The site of a mass grave for children who died in the Tuam mother and baby home Source: Niall Carson/PA
THE PUBLICATION OF the final report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation has led to calls for criminal probes into the activities of religious-run institutions for unmarried mothers in Ireland.
The commission’s five-year investigation, published on Wednesday, found that around 9,000 children died in 18 different homes, where girls as young as 12 were admitted over seven decad
); Illegitimate children could contaminate the morals of society so had to be hidden and illegally adopted
Adopted people and survivors of mother and baby homes say forced adoption was widespread, regardless of what the commission says. By Órla Ryan Sunday 17 Jan 2021, 8:00 AM Jan 17th 2021, 8:00 AM 33,005 Views 0 Comments File photo Source: Shutterstock/ChameleonsEye
SURVIVORS AND CAMPAIGNERS have criticised how the final report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes deals with the issue of adoption.
The long-awaited report – which was published on Tuesday and can be read here - said the commission found “little evidence” of forced adoption.
); We were told our mothers were prostitutes and ne er-do-wells. My mother was a senior civil servant, aged 30
Susan Lohan says adopted people have for decades been fed a false narrative about their mothers in the hopes they won’t try to find them. By Órla Ryan Saturday 16 Jan 2021, 10:30 AM Jan 16th 2021, 10:30 AM 119,120 Views 0 Comments
Susan Lohan
Susan Lohan
SUSAN LOHAN HAS been campaigning for the rights of adopted people for 20 years.
She co-founded the Adoption Rights Alliance in 2009 and more recently was appointed to the Mother and Baby Home Collaborative Forum.
The forum was set up in 2018 by then-Minister Katherine Zappone to help inform the Department of Children of survivors’ wishes on legacy issues related to the homes as the commission carried out its work.
The Supreme Court said that both people involved in the adoption of this sort had constitutional rights at stake: the right of the adopted person to know the identity of their birth parent, and the right of the birth mother to privacy.
However, this right to privacy was not absolute, and if the Circuit Court which was hearing the case felt that the rights of the adopted people were stronger, the information could be disclosed. The Court sent the case back to the lower court to consider this question.
It appears that the former Attorney General advised that this case means the Oireachtas cannot legislate to allow unrestricted access to birth records in all cases, as this would not pay sufficient regard to the privacy rights identified by the Supreme Court. If this is correct, the Constitution would have to be amended to allow such access.