IRELAND
Irish Mirror
Jul 16, 2014 20:21 By Sarah Bardon
Inter-departmental inquiry reveals the shocking extent of the scandal ahead of full investigation later this year
The bodies of 474 children were used for medical experiments, an initial probe into the mother and baby homes has revealed.
The inter-departmental inquiry attempted to lift the lid on the depth of the problem ahead of the Commission on Investigation, which will be launched later this year.
It said that inquiry should focus on nine ‘core homes’ including Tuam where the mass grave was discovered and the Bethany Homes.
The report also detailed how:
– There were 23,707 babies born across the nine homes;
– There were 976 Illegitimate Infant Deaths in Institutions including the 796 in Tuam;
– 2,000 children from homes were put up for adoption in the United States;
But the inquiry admitted there is considerable difficulty in establishing if the women were forced to do this.
The chief medical officer was unable to find documents to confirm if consent was given for medical trials.
New Children’s Minister James Reilly announced the chair of the new Commission of Investigation and said the terms of reference would be drawn up by September.
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