IRELAND
Sunday World
By Kevin Palmer
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has admitted that babies of unmarried parents were treated as “an inferior sub-species” for decades in Ireland, in shocking comments that will resonate across the country.
A special commission of investigation will examine the high mortality rates at the so-called mother and baby homes for much of the 20th century, with the burial practices at these sites and also secret and illegal adoptions and vaccine trials on children on the agenda of investigation.
It is thought about 35,000 unmarried mothers spent time in 10 homes run by religious orders in Ireland.
The inquiry has been ordered after massive national and international focus on the story of one home, run by the Sisters of the Bon Secours in Tuam, Co Galway, where the remains of 796 infants are believed to be buried.
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.