IRELAND
Irish Independent
Eilish O’Regan Health Correspondent
PUBLISHED 09/01/2015
The Commission of investigation into Mother and Baby homes will extend its probe from the 1920s to as late as 1998, it emerged today.
The probe, chaired by Judge Yvonne Murphy, will mostly hear evidence in private although individuals can also request to have a hearing in public.
The investigation will not only look at the care of unmarried mothers and their children in the homes but also high mortality rates and vaccine trials which were carried out in some instances.
The Minister who expects the inquiry to take three years said today:”As a State we have failed to come to terms with a harrowing reality of our pa, the manner in which single women and their children were treated in mother and baby homes and how they came to be there in the first place.”
The Church-run homes that catered for unmarried mothers and their children have been at the centre of allegations of mistreatment, neglect and questionable adoption practice.
Several groups, particularly those in Protestant-run homes, are expected to be disappointed at the extent of the investigation which will be headed by Judge Yvonne Murphy.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.