Speculation will not help in case of ‘Belle’
THE story of baby ‘ Belle’ whose remains were found on a beach in Balbriggan over the weekend is one of the saddest to hit the headlines this year. When news of the discovery filtered out there was disbelief and so many questions as to the circumstances surrounding the baby’s death.
Now that it has been established that the infant died before delivery, an appeal has been made to her mother to come forward.
This woman must be absolutely terrified, grief-stricken and in complete shock over what has happened to her.
It is such a tragic story and the fact that this woman is out there somewhere with what appears to be no support, is extremely concerning.
Whatever the circumstances that led to the baby’s abandonment, gardaí have appealed to her to come forward and assured her that they do not want to press criminal charges.
The priority is to get the woman the medical and psychological support she requires.
The story has stirred up memories of Baby Alannah whose remains were found in Bray Recycling Centre in 2017.
At that time, a similar appeal was made to the mother who also would have been in need of medical attention and counselling.
For those who make flippant and judgemental statements about why anyone would leave their baby’s remains in such a place or such a manner, it’s just a redundant argument when we do not know the person’s story or circumstances.
Speculation is futile and the emphasis must be on reassuring the mother that she is not alone and that help and support is available to her.
To think that anyone in Ireland today would feel alone and unsupported in such tragic and harrowing circumstances is deeply sad.
Various arguments were raised following this story, in relation to the abortion debate and really, it’s not fair to bring this into it as we simply do not know this particular woman’s circumstances.
We don’t know what led her to this situation, or what caused the infant to pass away before she was born.
Using a tragic story like this, incorrectly to push a pro or anti abortion agenda is futile, and won’t help this particular woman in any way.