Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The report of the commission of investigation into the history of these institutions has provided the Irish people of the present day with a shocking insight into a very harrowing chapter of our nation's past. It is a buried past, a past that was buried live and buried for too long. The report has revealed to us that Ireland was a very cold and harsh place for women who found themselves in a certain situation. It was a situation, in a lot of cases, that was outside their control, a situation in which the women and girls did nothing wrong only to fall pregnant. They did nothing wrong and they have nothing to be ashamed of.

The report finally gives survivors and their families what they have been denied for decades. It finally gives these women a voice. No longer will they be silenced. No longer will they be stigmatised. No longer will they be looked down on. No longer will they be made to feel worthless. No longer will they be made to feel like they are a stain on society. What did these women do that was so wrong? They fell pregnant out of wedlock, some as young as 12, some of them rape victims, some victims of incest, some in love with their partners but with no family acceptance when they became pregnant. They were forced into mother and baby homes, homes that showed no respect, no care, no support, no encouragement and no compassion. Instead, they were shamed, abused verbally and emotionally and stigmatised.

During this time, society, the church and the State stood idly by. They looked on, they ignored the issues and they swept them under the carpet. For families, it was easier to see their daughter in a mother and baby home than to face the stigma of the church. There is a very disturbing contrast in what happened then when one considers the boundless joy and happiness that the news of a pregnancy brings to a couple, their families and friends in today's Ireland, regardless of the circumstances and regardless of their marital status. The former residents of these institutions did nothing wrong and they have nothing to be ashamed of. I am hopeful that those survivors who are with us today know this in their hearts. For those who may not and who are still struggling on that journey in any way, I truly hope that they may some day find peace in the realisation that they are not to blame and they did nothing wrong.

We must acknowledge and respect that the publication of this report would simply not have been possible without the contribution of former residents of the homes who undertook such a difficult task and revisited what must have been a very painful chapter from their own personal history for the greater good. I know many are not happy with the report's findings. They feel it does not accurately reflect their testimonials and their lived experience. We must accept their criticisms. These are the women who lived in the homes. These are the women who gave birth in the homes and saw their babies die or be taken from them. It is hard, as a woman, to read the report, knowing what childbirth is like, and to think of the fear, pain, hurt and desolation these young women and girls, some of them only teenagers, went through and what childbirth was like for them, only to have their babies wrenched from their arms.

Some babies were adopted into good homes in the US, Canada, the UK and here at home. Some were educated, had siblings and had opportunities. Many others did not get those opportunities. Young boys and girls were boarded out to work on farms or in service as servants, with no education and no family home. They were punished for their birthright. Those children had their lives stolen from them, with many still paying the price. It is hard to comprehend the findings of the report regarding the 9,000 babies who, sadly, died in these homes. The report states that the children of unmarried mothers were hidden from the public gaze. There was no national outcry in regard to the high infant mortality rates, except from a small number of medical professionals, as the Minister indicated. The report states, "It is particularly disquieting that the high mortality rate was known to the authorities both local and national..." I believe it is more than disquieting. I believe it is an absolute scandal and outrage that no one said a word and that 9,000 babies were never given a chance.

Where to next? I welcome the apologies last week from the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, on behalf of the State. I welcome the apology from the church and the Bon Secours order, but I also await their actions because actions speak louder than words. An apology on its own is not good enough. These women need action now, they need redress, they need recognition and they need remembrance. Most of all, they need their records. That is why the information and tracing legislation has to, and will be, a priority. I accept that a balance must be struck in this in order to respect birth mothers who may not wish to be identified publicly. We need to respect these women. They have been through enough. Now is the time to make it right and to say again that they are not to blame.

I want to reiterate what the Taoiseach and the Minister said when they reassured survivors, their families and the country that the Government is determined to act on all the recommendations of the report and to deliver the legislative change necessary, at least, to start to heal the wounds that endure. As Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people, I believe there is a responsibility on all of us who have been affected by the publication of the report, and it is hard reading, to apply what we are feeling and what we have learned to help the many vulnerable people who are enduring shame and stigma as a result of personal issues in our society today. We must strive to be more inclusive and understanding of those who are suffering or struggling for whatever reason. Such understanding and compassion were in short supply in the mother and baby homes. The women who gave birth there did nothing wrong and they have nothing to be ashamed of.

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