High death rate due to lack of antibiotics, says Sarto | Irish Examiner

High death rate due to lack of antibiotics, says Sarto | Irish Examiner



I'm not going to 'take sides' here but I well remember in 1974 -ish when I was a young student in social Work I did a 'placement' of approx. 2-3 weeks 'observation' in the slums of Dublin. and by God they WERE slums. Children ran around bare foot. No shoes.



The Nun who ran the social services to families and older people was a veritable SAINT!  She loved everyone. and a religious brother (alcoholic) whom we called 'brother Brewery' also cared deeply though I did not really work with him.  The Sister was my supervisor.  I admired her greatly.



We were a very poor country in the 70's. There were no 'options' for girls. Many left to do nursing in England as I did.



I believe the mother and baby homes may well have been awful.



I did another placement with the Rotunda adoption society.  I don't remember anyone being FORCED to give up their baby.  We had meetings with young mothers around a kitchen table.  support groups.



many signed babies over because there was NO CHOICE. Ireland would not accept socially, culturally, religiously, economically unmarried mothers. They had no jobs and welfare was almost non-existent. families did NOT take them in. The CATHOLIC ethos unmarried sex=sin was rife in state and church and families swallowed it hook, line and sinker.



Many years later I interviewed a woman for my PhD on 'clergy sexual abuse of adult women' and heard from a woman who said a priest came to the single mothers organisation and took her and her baby into his presbytery...only there to exploit her for sex.  when she 'got out', he went and got another unmarried mother!