Was 'society' really to blame for what happened in mother and baby homes?

In a society that asserted a morally superior national identity through conformity, the price of going against the consensus was high

Those without political, economic or social power had very few options and much to fear. For so many Irish babies it meant death. Picture: Brian Lawless

How do you talk about society in the context of widespread systemic abuse of the people and children who experienced Ireland’s mother and baby institutions? What was society’s role? 

As the Dáil debated the Report of the Commission of Mother and Baby Homes this week, fundamental questions about the responsibilities of state and society, and what we mean by these terms, have been raised. Michael Moynihan TD asserted: "We believed, society believed, that some human beings were lesser than others."