Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Countless men and women living in my area have a history intertwined with the Castlepollard institution. I do not have the time to fully express to the Minister the hurt, frustration and disbelief they have expressed to me. I want to place on the record of the Dáil some quotes from an open letter written by the survivors of the Castlepollard institution earlier this year. It begins:

The sad fact is that losing a baby to forced adoption is a traumatic event in a mother's life causing a form of post traumatic stress disorder and it makes zero difference how soon after birth this trauma is inflicted; the horror remains, the depression, anxiety, nightmares, flashbacks ...

The survivors make it clear in their open letter that "the commission's final report is deeply flawed". It continues:

Up to 15,000 people in Ireland ... were illegally adopted during the timeframe under investigation and they were excluded ... they have spent their entire lives giving false, misleading and potentially lethal family medical histories to doctors and hospital staff.

The letter further states:

Furthermore the rest of the county homes were ignored by this commission - more than two dozen escaped investigation ... Where is their truth and justice?

It continues:

We listened to both Taoiseach Martin and Tánaiste Varadkar apologise in the Dáil today ... Neither mentioned their own political parties nor their culpability in what is essentially Ireland's own little holocaust ... insult headed upon injury and salt thrown in the wounds by the empty seats ... Apparently, it was 'society's fault'. What was the point in our testifying if our word was to be doubted? Our testimonies ARE the proof.

Neither of the sickening double act in the Dáil today bothered to talk about real and immediate action for living survivors ... the living survivor community must take priority ... we need action while some of us are alive.

These are the raw, hurt words of survivors, told in their own words in an open letter. They have had enough of political waffle to last them more than a lifetime. They have been failed time and again. Actions, not words, are what is needed now, because people start to heal the moment they feel heard. These survivors have yet to feel heard. Do not deny them again. I ask the Minister not to let that happen on his watch. He must ensure that justice is finally delivered.

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