[ad_1]
The Maternal and Child Home Commission examined 18 institutions in which, between 1922 and 1998, of the 57,000 children who lived there, 15 percent. died. Their published report states that these homes were supposed to provide shelter for mothers who had no other way out of an unexpected pregnancy because they were not married and poor.
However, the women who lived there experienced emotional violence from the monks: mothers were forced to scrub the floor before being called “fallen”, “sinful”, “dirty” and “born of the devil”.
The Commission states that high neonatal mortality was the most worrying characteristic of these institutions. 1945-1946 Neonatal mortality in these households was almost twice the national average for illegitimate children.
The investigation began six years ago after a history buff, Catherine Corless, discovered evidence of unmarked mass graves in the Tuam Cemetery, County Galway.
When these special houses were formed in Ireland, they were largely established and run by religious institutions and overseen by the state.
Survivor testimonials
One of the surviving illegitimate children of such mothers is Carmel Larkin, born in Tuame in 1949, and she openly says that she is still outraged by the way her mother was treated.
Mrs. Larkin was turned over to the guardians at five o’clock and never saw her mother again. He doesn’t even have a photo of her, he doesn’t know where she’s buried. Larkin told Sky News how he feels: “Well, this is our Holocaust, right? The Holocaust took place in Germany, but the home of the mother and baby was our Holocaust ”. When she learned of the findings of the Tuame study, she said: “I was overwhelmed with horror.”
“It is horrible that a man has treated babies and their mothers like that. They were called sinners as soon as they arrived, Larkin said. “Having a child is the greatest gift a woman can receive.”
In the infamous Besboro home in County Cork, 75 percent died in 1943. Children born and adopted there.
The highest mortality is recorded in the Sean Ross home in County Tipperary, which operated from 1931 to 1969. In these homes 1,090 of 6,079 newborns died, of which 79 percent. It occurred from 1932 to 1947. The high mortality in Sean Rosso’s home is partly explained by the incidence of infectious diseases, such as diphtheria and typhoid fever.
The study found that such a high neonatal mortality in maternal and infant homes was due to respiratory infections and gastroenteritis.
Single and pregnant women were generally excluded from their families and expelled from their homes because, in a God-fearing Catholic society, an illegitimate child brought shame to the entire family.
A witness told the commission how a prostitute and a whore found his mother. Her three uncles were priests, so her parents worried that the girl’s pregnancy might hurt them in the first place. Both members of the pregnant girl’s family and the girl’s father were concerned that the illegitimate baby would affect their siblings’ careers.
The woman who was adopted Sean Rosse said her mother was tied to the bed during delivery and the nun sat on her chest to help her push.
Another woman who entered the Besboron home at seventeen said that she was very afraid of one of the midwives.
“He cut off the external genitalia of the girls, saying that here is their punishment for what they did and that they will never be able to do it again,” the witness said.
Another woman said that when she was sent to the hospital during delivery, they “cut” her there and gave her no pain medication. “They just cut me off to give birth,” she said.
A woman living in Besboro testified that mothers, even when ill, were forced to work. “It seems those nuns had no heart,” she said. – You could hear the girls crying at night. We fall asleep in fear and wake up in fear. “
According to the BBC, the former Brigdet in Besboro was forced to stand in a corner of the room for several hours during her last pregnancy. She gave birth to her son three weeks earlier than expected.
Brigdet said: “I still see it. He explored. Very curious, beautiful, perfect baby. Blonde, blue eyes, and her hair looked combed. “
She knew she couldn’t keep the baby she wanted to name William. But the nuns said that Gerard is a more appropriate name for a Catholic.
A couple of days later, the newborn fell ill and Brigdet was told that he had been transferred to a “death room”. She did not see him again because the baby was sent to the hospital where he died two weeks after his illness.
The children stayed in these homes for various periods and were later adopted or sent to live with local families. There they worked on farms or small businesses, where they often received little or no pay.
The study found that many women were not knowledgeable about sex education, and when they got pregnant they were scared and did not know what to do. The study revealed that even in the 1970s, “girls got pregnant without knowing how or why.”
According to state data, in those homes, where tens of thousands of women, including rape victims, were sent to give birth, the death rate for newborns was five times that of babies born to married parents.
“I am sorry for everyone who has experienced this,” said Anna Corrigan, whose two brothers, John and William Dolan, died of single mothers in Tuam’s home, according to the documents.
“We hope justice, justice, responsibility and that those who take it are prosecuted, as well as compensation for the survivors,” said the woman.
In the 20th century, in Ireland, the church was governed by many social institutions. Although run by nuns, the houses received state funding. The state also regulated the activities of adoption agencies.
[ad_2]
