Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
The State Failed you
Taoiseach says the victims were blameless ‘Society’ also responsible for 9,000 dead tots Sinn Fein chief slams response as distortion of facts
TAOISEACH Micheal Martin yesterday told Ireland’s mother and baby home survivors they should feel no shame and said: “The state failed you.”
In an official apology, he added the Commission of Investigation’s report proved there had been “a profound generational wrong”.
Mr Ma r t i n’s response was hammered by rivals who criticised it as inadequate with the Sinn Fein leader even labelling the statement “a distortion of history”.
The Taoiseach’s address in the Dail was directed at the victims of the horrific regime that saw 9,000 babies die and 56,000 mothers enslaved.
He said: “I want to emphasise that each of you were in an institution because of the wrongs of others.
“Each of you did nothing wrong and deserve so much better.
“This detailed and highly painful report is a moment for us as a society to recognise a profound failure of empathy, understanding and basic humanity over a very lengthy period.
“The lack of respect for your f u n d a me n t a l d i g n i ty and rights as mothers and children who spent time in these institutions is humbly acknowledged and deeply regretted.
“The Irish state, as the main funding authority for the majority of these institutions, had the ultimate ability to exert control over these institutions in addition to its duty of care to protect citizens with a robust regulatory and inspection regime.
“This authority was not exerted and the State’s duty of care to you was not upheld.
“The State failed you, the mothers and children in these homes.”
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar accepted the Catholic Church and Irish state colluded i n running the horrific
ANGER Mary Lou Mcdonald
CONTRITE Leo Varadkar mother and baby homes. He said: “Let there be no doubt, Church and state ran these homes together, working hand in glove, but with the full knowledge of wider society.”
He added the findings of the report re vealed Ireland to b e “stif ling, repressing and deeply misogynistic”.
Mr Varadkar said: “It’s shocking to hear that 9,000 children died in these institutions. I dare not call them homes.”
He added the children were part of
Ireland’s “stolen generation”. Mr Varadkar said: “As Tanaiste, as a former Taoiseach, and as a member of the government that established this commission, I want to offer my own apology to the children who were hidden away, treated as a commodity, or as second-class citizens.
“And to the mothers for whom there was no other option but to give up their child.”
Mary Lou Mcdonald was scathing in her criticism of Mr Martin’s official response which she said did little to give comfort to those who suffered.
The Sinn Fein leader added: “Efforts to shift responsibility from Church and state has shocked survivors.
“The assertions that there were no forced adoptions, that there exists little evidence of physical abuse and the overarching attempt to shift responsibility from the Church and state has left survivors shocked and outraged.
“This circling of the wagons only
I want to emphasise that each of you were in an institution because of the wrongs of others ...Each of you did nothing wrong and deserve so much better TAOISEACH MICHEAL MARTIN YESTERDAY
Idea ‘we did this to ourselves’ is deeply insulting MARY LOU MCDONALD DAIL YESTERDAY
adds to trauma and the failures of the State. Whatever they read, they know that the Church and the State are responsible for the violation of t h e i r mo s t b a s i c human rights.
“It is plainly untrue to suggest that the whole of Irish society is responsible. This distorts history. The truth is that these crimes were perpetuated by a reactionary Catholic Church and a confessional State.
“Those in power outsourced their responsibilities to the religious orders, including some Protestant orders as we know from the accounts of survivors from places like Bethany
Home.
“This was done by the powerful to those who Alan Kelly were vulnerable.” Mrs Mcdonald also attacked th e claim that wider society was culpable.
She said: “The idea that ‘we did this to ourselves’ is deeply insulting to victims and survivors. It is a cop out.”
Labour leader Alan Kelly said the Church must follow up contrition, step up to its responsibilities and pay to help “right the wrongs” they perpetrated. He said his party would introduce legislation forcing the religious hierarchy to pay up if they don’t do so voluntarily.
Solidarity/people Before Profit TD Brid Smith sai d the Irish government should seize assets of the Catholic Church if required as she said its wealth had been “built on the bones of dead babies”.