Mother and Baby Home survivors are demanding full access to their personal records as the Taoiseach prepares to make a full State apology.

The Commission of Investigation report into the homes yesterday found that Ireland had a “stifling, oppressive and brutally misogynistic culture” towards unmarried mothers and their children.

It found that the harsh treatment was "supported by, contributed to, and condoned by, the institutions of the State and the Churches.”

There were around 56,000 unmarried mothers and 57,000 children sent to the 18 homes under investigation by the commission.

It finds that around 9,000 children died in the institutions, and describes the mortality rate among children born in several of the homes as 'appalling.'

Apology

The Taoiseach will make a formal State apology to Mother and Baby Home survivors in the Dáil later.

Last night, the head of the Catholic Church in Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin “unreservedly” apologised to the survivors.

Clodagh Malone from the Coalition of Mother and Baby Home Survivors says the apology's difficult to accept:

“Well, I can’t say that I accept it, certainly when I am an advocate I suppose for survivors,” she said.

“Having dealt with thousands of survivors over the past 11 years with Beyond Adoption, does an apology help? I think for some survivors.

“Open the records. Let us know who we are. Let us know where we came from. Our Lineage, our heritage and our medical history. This cannot be a secret anymore.”

Child mortality

She said it is shocking to think the State didn't act, given what was happening.

“Certainly, with the mortality rate, there should have been alarm bells,” she said. “One-in-seven children.

“What it said within the inquiry was that, certainly with illegitimate children, if they became unwell, generally, they weren’t really medicated. They were kind of left to die.”

Records

Among the report’s recommendations are a redress scheme for survivors alongside access to their records.

The National Women's Council Director, Orla O'Connor, said it is vital this happens quickly.

“The survivors, women, need access to their records,” she said.

“The fact we are still, in 2021, having to campaign to get people full access to their records … access they have been denied by the religious institutions and they have been denied by the State.

“We really hope in the National Women’s Council that when the apology is made that that is immediately addressed.”

Right to identity

The report notes that the right to identity is an “important human right” and calls for all medical and adoption records to be made available to survivors.

It also calls for a central repository to be established for all records from institutions and adoption societies so information can be obtained from one place.

It warns however that “many adopted people think there is considerably more information about them in institutional and other records than is actually the case,” and notes that the available information is “very limited in most cases.”

Last year, the Government said survivors would be given access to their records – with all requests considered on a case-by-case basis.

It said extra resources would be made available to help people access the records and pledged to establish a national archive of records related to institutional trauma during the 20th Century.