Government banned sending pregnant women to Bessborough in 1945
The order was issued in January 1945, following two reports in 1943 and 1944 into the level of infant deaths that were occurring at the Cork home. The Irish Examiner revealed yesterday that the official investigation carried out by the Cork County Medical Officer, on foot of inquiries from a Department of Local Government inspector, confirmed an infant mortality rate of 68% at Bessborough in 1943.
The national mortality rate for marital infants in that year was 7.6%, rising to 25% for ‘illegitimate’ infants. A later report cited a “habitual” high infant mortality rate, while acknowledging a lack of adequate nursing training among nuns and staff, as well as a complete lack of infant hygiene and dietetics training among any of the staff.
