Elisha McCallion (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My point relates to information. Information is key and, therefore, access to information is vital. That is what these people are looking for. They do not understand, nor do they appreciate, technicalities. Frankly, neither do I. I am a mother. I know my background. My children know who I am and they know their grandparents, which, I suspect, is the situation for many in this Chamber. That fundamental right has been stripped from these women. If this Bill passes in its current form, people will continue to be stripped of basic information to which they are entitled.

I plead with the Minister and all Senators who have spoken - I do not doubt the sincerity of the Senators who are speaking from the heart on this issue - to listen to the people who were involved. I take issue with us still calling these detention centres "mother and baby homes". They were not homes; far from it. We need to accept the severity of what these women experienced in these detention centres under the guise of Christianity. God forgive anyone who was involved in that type of behaviour and tried to portray it as a Christian act. We have a duty and a responsibility to the survivors of this serious injustice. If we fail to hear or listen to them and we fail to act on what they are asking for, it is an indictment on us. I plead with everyone on the opposite side of the House to support the amendment. People need this information.