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WOMEN DIDN’T JUST arrive in the mother-and-baby homes, they were there because they were pregnant and they didn’t get pregnant on their own.
All of the discussion in recent times around the mother-and-baby homes has rightly focused on the mothers, their babies, the people who ran the homes and on other very important issues around adoption, experimental vaccinations and the burial of deceased infants. A commission of investigation has been approved in which all aspects of the mother-and-baby homes will be vigorously explored in a thorough and considered way. This is most essential for our society to ensure that this can never happen again.
Interestingly, however, in all the coverage over the past few weeks, the role of the fathers hasn’t been addressed to any extent.
Where are the men in this story?
Who were the men who fathered all of these children? Why didn’t they take responsibility or could they take responsibility? Were some of the men involved already married or did they believe that the pregnant women weren’t good enough to marry? It is no secret that many of the women who found themselves in mother-and-baby homes did so after suffering horrific sexual abuse. The questions surrounding this issue are endless.
The reality is that mother-and-baby homes were a product of their time; the institutions themselves need to take responsibility, the State played a role, and society as a whole accepted that ‘fallen women’ were sent to these homes. This was never discussed and judging by the lack of information available, very few questions were asked. It may be the case that society was conspiring to control and repress women’s sexuality under the influence of a male Church preaching celibacy and anti-contraception to a male Government, or it may very well be the case that it was not socially acceptable for a man to stand by his woman out of wedlock.
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During the era of the mother-and-baby homes, nothing was expected of a man who fathered a child, it was essentially the woman’s problem if unmarried. Fatherhood, at that time, was clearly not valued by society – and this is emphasised even further when you consider that widowers had their children taken off them when their wives died if they could not find a suitable woman to step into the maternal role.
What is the legacy of this old attitude?
We need to consider now the legacy of this attitude on today’s society. What, if anything, has changed? Fatherhood, in my opinion, is not something to be discarded like a used condom. In or out of wedlock, it should be something to be proud of; men should be in a position to take emotional and financial responsibility for their children. But fatherhood, by law, in the eyes of many, is still an option and that is wrong.
For children born outside of marriage in Ireland, only the mother has automatic rights to guardianship. In 2012, the Government passed the Civil Registration (Amendment) Act. This change demands that an unmarried father’s name is included on his child’s birth certificate, which gives children vital information about their identity and holds errant fathers to account to provide for their children.
The Children’s First Bill published in April is also an important step forward in protecting our children and in ensuring that a situation like that of the mother-and-baby homes can never happen again. This Bill provides for key child protection measures which require specific people of responsibility to report child protection crimes. Had legislation such as this been in place all those years ago, many of the cases of neglect and abuse may not have happened.
With Father’s Day coming up on Sunday, this is a wonderful time to celebrate all that is good about fatherhood and to appreciate the majority of men who are loving, caring and very involved fathers. In a week when a Commission of Investigation into all Mother and Baby Homes was announced by the Minister for Children, Charlie Flanagan TD, we should now take this opportunity to have an open debate about fatherhood, about the men who abused and irreparably damaged so many women, about the men who were unwilling, or unable, to buck the trends that society accepted, and about the value that we now place on the role played by fathers.
Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, Fine Gael TD for Laois–Offaly.
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@JG: he’s appealing to the uk public. They don’t like strikes or union leaders and politicians on picket lines waving copies of socialist worker about. Its why Corbyn lost in a landslide.
I take it back a YouGov poll didn’t. Savanta Comes poll of 2,300 58% of the people questioned said the strikes are justified, with 34% deeming them unjustified.
@Tom Quin: The IPSOS one was equal support at 35% to opposition at 35%. Doesn’t show the British public detesting unions. The only reason the Tories do so well is because the Brits use FPTP elections. It’s well established UK Labour would come out on top with PR voting. So no the British people don’t hate the left.
They sabotaged their party from within with their revolt on Corbyn. It’s no wonder they’re a bit lost for direction these days when they promoted a fence sitter to party leader.
@Rochelle: Corbyn handed the Conservatives their biggest majority in donkeys years. He let Boris off the hook when he was suffocating to death through the pressure of brexit and a minority government. Corbyn showed the worst judgement of any leader in modern history when he agreed to that election. He then bombed out un the election campaign. He will be remembered as one of the worst Labour leaders in history. His decisions, scandals and his unprecedented unnecessary election defeat will ensure that.
@Tim Dawson: Corbyn was utterly railroaded by the media.. Even the BBC photoshopped a Russian style hat onto him on their backgrounds. He was absolutely hounded out of his position. The recent report shows how much the New Labour (Blairite) side of the party and the NEC completely shoehorned him. 100′s of thousands of people joined the Labour Party because Corbyn was the leader and the NEC screwed that membership over.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: the british public have only ever once voted for a socialist government that was after ww2. The media did not give Boris that huge landslide.
@FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: that’s very, very weak. you thinking the uk public are so thick because they did not vote for the guy you wanted them too is the sort of arrogance that switches people off the left.
@Tim Dawson: To be fair he didn’t get the support of the higher up’s in the labour party,the papers were all against him,his own wanted him to fail,he was elected by the people on the ground in the labour party,not saying he was perfect but he never had a chance,look at the head of labour now.
Forgetting that working conditions would still be in the dark ages if it wasn’t for Unions. This isn’t simply a matter of one mp not abiding by party protocols, starmer has been on the fence all along. His fear of the electorate and the right wing press could be considered cautious and prudent but not at the cost of handing everything to the Tories on a plate. Surely it is easy enough for him to highlight that transport issues are created initially by the govt and not by the unions?
@alan: the brit public do not support unions and lefties like Corbyn. Starmer needs to win them over to get the Tories out and going full on Corbyn will give tories another landslide.
If I understand it correctly, he wasn’t sacked for supporting the strikers, but rather because he said it was Labour policy to advocate for a pay rise in line with inflation. Which would a) would make no economic sense – increasing wages in line with inflation will only lead to further inflation, and b) clearly would be a major policy proposal, and as such if someone just says it is the party position when it isn’t, that person should be sacked. Such a proposal is ludicrous, and would just give the Torries the chance to portray Labour as some kind of looney left part that would end up bankrupting Britain, hurting small business owners, etc. etc. Right now, Labour just need to sit back and quiet while the Torries destroy themselves.
Always the same with Labour, when the Tories are on the ropes they proceed to shoot themselves in both feet. Fairly much unelectable as they’re perceived as differing factions all adopting opposing views. Should just split into three different parties and be done with it.
Shouldn’t Labour ya know, be on the side of workers. I’m guessing that day has long since past since Tony Blair and ‘new Labour’. Moderate Tories in disguise
Unable to govern themselves anymore over there…Maybe we should tie in with India and jointly go in to save(colonise) them and restore good governance … ;)
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