IRELAND
BBC News
Mari Tatlow-Steed lives in Philadelphia, but was born at the Bessborough home run by Sacred Heart sisters in County Cork.
She said there were two categories of children in the home.
“Children that were earmarked to go over to the United States for adoption or even remain in Ireland, we were fattened up, we were given the better food,” she said.
‘Neglect’
“And I have no doubt there were probably children who might have had difficulties when they were born, congenital problems, weaknesses whatever it may be, that the nuns just decided, ‘well we know this one is not going to be earmarked for adoption’, so they’re not going to get the same level of decent care.”
She described it as a form of “benign neglect”.
“They (nuns) felt these children were not going to thrive or be as marketable, ‘well, we’re just not going to spend as much effort or time’,” she said.
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