Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The way this Government has attempted to rush through the Bill is nothing short of disgraceful. Survivors, their families, their legal representatives and their advocates have understandably been deeply distressed by the appalling way in which their wishes have been disregarded. It is not right for their testimonies to be sealed away for 30 years. They have been brave in speaking out and share their stories and we must ensure their stories are heard. Thanks to witness testimonies, their life stories will not be silenced anymore.

I will share some of these horrific and harrowing stories this evening. One survivor spoke about their ordeal in accessing information, saying:

It makes me angry to think that I was pushed as far as becoming an emotional wreck in order to obtain such simple information about myself. Everyone has the right to know their name; the right to know their mother's name.

Another spoke about the conditions her mother endured while giving birth, stating:

My mother was tied to the bed and when she couldn't push, one of the nuns sat on her chest to make her.

On the immoral and evil practice of forced adoption, one person stated:

My son was wrenched from my breast by one of the nuns while I was feeding him and taken away for adoption ... at no time did I give my consent to my son's adoption.

One mother spoke about the death of her child. She said:

I do not even know whether he was buried in a coffin ... there was never even a kind or sympathetic word said to me.

The psychological impact on mothers has been enormous. One person stated:

The nuns at Bessborough made my life hell and changed my life forever. I could not get over what happened to me. I think I am still in shock, still traumatised. My time in Bessborough was a horrible, horrific experience ... I think I will die with the pain and trauma that was caused during this time.

After being adopted, some of the children did not have the best childhoods. One said:

My childhood was not a happy one and I do not view adoption as a guarantee of a 'better life'. My upbringing was dysfunctional primarily involving my adoptive mother's alcoholism and sexual abuse by my brother. As I grew older, I felt a sense of loss within me that I didn't know my true origins, I felt very lonely all my life. I was nothing like my adoptive family.

These stories are horrific. They are harrowing and heartbreaking. I am even trying to keep the emotion in as I recount them. Once again, I urge the Minister to do the right thing and put a stop to this unfair and indefensible Bill. As one survivor said to me outside Leinster House earlier: "l am a Mother and today is my Mother's Day." I ask the Minister not to rip away these mothers' rights the same way their children were ripped away from them.

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