More than 9,000 babies died between the 1920s and the 1990s in homes for unmarried mothers in Ireland, many of which were run by Catholic religious orders, a long-awaited study concluded after years of campaigning by survivors and their descendants.
According to the report, in some years in the 1930s and 1940s, more than 40% of children in mother-and-baby homes died before their first birthday, high mortality rates often known to the government and local authorities.
Over the entire study period, about 15% of all children living in the 18 institutions surveyed died in homes, some of which were owned and managed by local health authorities and others by religious orders.
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said the report describes a “dark, difficult and embarrassing chapter in very recent Irish history” with lasting consequences. He said that the church, the state and society have a shared responsibility and that the responsible religious orders must contribute to those seeking redress.
Some of the religious orders responsible for the houses apologized. Former Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, said that “the church went beyond its role and became a controlling church” and should apologize in comment to RTÉ, the Irish broadcaster. He said those responsible for the abuse betrayed vulnerable women and their calling.