Mairead Enright: Flawed Mother and Baby report cannot be allowed to stand

The State’s legal advisors repeatedly treat survivors as an inconvenience when it comes to access to personal records, transcripts, burial records, birth certificates or access to justice itself. The result on this occasion is a flawed Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation report

The High Court has seen eight survivors bring cases against the State from women over Mother and Baby homes. These are the first in what is expected to be a large number of such cases. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

When the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation report was published earlier this year, many people were surprised by its limited findings. 

The commission found “little” evidence of physical abuse, “no evidence” of gross abuse, “no evidence” that women were involuntarily detained, “no evidence” of forced adoption and so on.