The Irish government has ordered a nationwide investigation into homes for unmarried mothers run by the Catholic Church.<br /><br />It follows the discovery of an unmarked grave at a convent-run home in County Galway, which contained the remains of hundreds of babies. <br /><br />Ireland’s Minister for Children, Charlie Flanagan TD said the investigation would be the first of its kind:<br /><br />“It was felt in the circumstances was (the) most appropriate having regard to the fact that such a commission will have a full range of statutory powers in relation to documents, papers, witnesses, co-operation. And we feel that it is appropriate that it would be set up at the earliest opportunity”.<br /><br />Dublin has come under increasing pressure to examine the practices at the institutions, and their high mortality rates since the discovery of the grave.<br /><br />As recently as the 1960s unmarried women and girls were often forced to give up their babies for adoption.<br /><br />Either that or the children were said to have been treated as an inferior sub-species by the Church.<br /><br />Today’s inquiry will also look into adoption procedures, burial practices and the reported testing of medicine on children at the homes.
