Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Fianna Fáil welcomed the commission on mother and baby homes when it was established. That position has not changed. We recognise the vital importance of the commission in delivering justice and accountability for all those affected by mother and baby homes in Ireland. The most important focus are the mothers and their babies. These mothers, babies and families must come first. They must be our sole focus. In the Fianna Fáil amendment, we recognise the considerable harms that have been experienced by survivors of mother and baby homes and similar institutions.

The absolute shock and horror of seeing the names - like a roll call - of the 796 babies buried in the mother and baby home in Tuam is incomprehensible. A total of 796 babies, aged between 35 weeks and 3 years, were buried. Some were buried in graves but most were buried in septic tanks. It is hard to even say the words. These children died of whooping cough, bronchitis, pneumonia and malnutrition. Imagine a baby dying of hunger. It is so hard to take. Mothers and babies were separated at birth. They were torn apart. Some were adopted and sent to America for a better life - we hope. Last week, when reading an article in one of the Sunday newspapers, I was struck by the report of two children who were born in the Tuam mother and baby home in 1960. One was adopted in America and lived a good life. He was well educated and happy. They tried to adopt the girl at the same time. However, they could not do it financially. The girl did not have a good life. In fact, she had a very sad and horrendous life. This goes to show how the dice rolled for those two children. One had an exceptionally good life and the other did not.

These babies, mothers and families need the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes to complete its work in a timely fashion. These mothers need the truth. They need to know why their babies died. If their babies were adopted, they need to know what happened to them. They need closure. These women, siblings and families need to know what happened. For too long the first thing they thought of every morning and the last thing they thought of every night was what happened to their babies. I believe a truth commission is necessary and our amendment to the motion seeks to establish a truth commission in a manner that complements and does not infringe on the ongoing commission of investigation. This would be done in co-operation with survivor groups to ensure that the truth commission is solely focused on the needs of survivors, who have to come first. I cannot emphasise enough that the survivors must come first.

The truth commission needs to be established following international best practice, guided by similar commissions in the likes of South Africa, Chile and Canada. The views and experiences of all survivors of mother and baby homes must be listened to, respected and acknowledged. We need to bring healing and reconciliation to survivor communities, the broader public and the State. We must ensure that the stories and experiences of these women and children are not forgotten and that their memory is honoured in a respectful way. Before we can move forward as a nation, we must turn to the past and recognise its implications for today.

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