Ms Terri Harrison:

I thank the committee for this opportunity. I will go straight to early care information. I would like an amendment made to the Bill regarding the early care of our children. We were locked away in institutions. Even though our babies were in the same institutions, they were locked away in nurseries. The very early care of a child reflects its entirety of care. People were given permission to access the locked nurseries in between feeding times, which was the only time we were allowed to care for our newborn babies. It is essential that the early care information is accurate and that it reflects the truth of what really happened in these institutions. The mother should have the right to know to what extent people had access to her newborn baby. Many things transpired and we had no authority. We were not seen as the child's mother and, therefore, we did not give the entire early care.

With regard to access to records, I want to know by whom these scribbled notes were recorded and how they reflect the truth and transparency of what really happened in these places. It is imperative that the mother of the child is allowed to proofread such records. Who is deemed qualified to describe us, our well-being, mental well-being and emotional state? To give an example, the records I have witnessed from the so-called qualified authority state every pregnancy was healthy and normal and every delivery was healthy and normal. We now have proven facts that this is untrue. These facts are being withheld. For all the girls who were imprisoned, the only real test on record is that they had to be seen if they had syphilis. This was an essential test when entering these places. Nobody ever came in to inspect the well-being of the expectant mother. In the terminology of the Government for the past 70 years we are never described as expectant mothers or new mothers. The early care information has to reflect on the unborn child. It affects them also. It has been scientifically proven that the well-being of the mother as the child lives inside of her is essential to the future of that unborn child.

I would like to see an amendment on access to counselling. It is crucial the councillors are accredited. The Bill states Tusla social workers will provide vital support to those who wish to avail of it. I would definitely like to see a qualified medical practitioner put in place such as a psychologist. We have a living bereavement brought on by an unnatural separation of mother and child. It affects both equally for different reasons. This is why it is vital that it is a qualified practitioner who is involved.

The contact register and the family of origin are entirely separate issues. Every person has the birthright to know from whom they came, their culture, their heritage and their gene pool. We have only one birth certificate and everybody is entitled to it.

I will end on a human note. The Bill will have a profound effect on thousands in the years to come. It is all down to legalised human trafficking and false imprisonment of mothers and their children.

For the sake of Irish society, I implore the committee to consider this Bill from a very deep and considered human perspective.