Children as guinea pigs, a Country under shock

Unfortunately the scandal in Ireland is intensifying. Only few days have passed since a mass grave was discovered with the skeletons of 796 children near a home for unmarried pregnant women run by the Bon Secours Sisters in Tuam, a city in County Galway. Ireland was again greatly shocked at the news that in other homes for unmarried pregnant women 298 children underwent experiments for the testing of vaccines, 80 of whom became seriously ill after they were accidentally administered a vaccine intended for cattle. “It’s a situation of great confusion. Other scandals are coming to the fore, people perceive that the story of Tuam is just the beginning. Accounts on how the mothers and their children were treated sparked off widespread anger. People are furious” – said Paul Keenan, foreign editor at the “Irish Catholic”. Minors used for clinical trials. The Irish government has announced full investigation through a statutory commission of inquiry, but the situation is tragically escalating. The investigation, which started with a home in County Galway, registered mounting allegations that hundreds of children were used for testing of vaccinations. Reportedly, GlaxoSmithKline, a British pharmaceutical company, is also involved, whose “justification” is that there were no laws on medical testing in Ireland until 1987. In June 2001 an inquiry was ordered into trials on 58 children in 1960 and 1961 at six homes. Results of those trials were published in the British Medical Journal in 1962. But that inquiry was blocked when Professor Patrick Meenan, an author of the study at the time aged 86, said he could not appear in court on grounds of his age and ill health. A subsequent inquiry was blocked in 2004. So, while the scandal emerged with all its virulence today, in the past something was already known in Ireland. The hypocrisy of society. “What most upsets the public opinion – Paul Keenan admitted – is the role that Irish society has played in this terrible story. Starting with the parents of the single mothers who preferred hide their daughters to how society as a whole viewed those single mothers and their illegitimate children. The way they were treated – mothers and children alike – their state of malnutrition, the way in which they were buried, often unnamed, are all elements that reveal unspeakable inhumanity”. The new vaccinations scandal adds anger to anger. It opens a new chapter of a horror movie whose developments are feared to disclose an even worse scenario. Government and bishops’ reactions. The statutory inquiry commission will examine the high mortality rates registered in the homes across the 20th century, burial practices, secret and illegal adoptions, along with vaccinations testing on children. It is estimated that some 35 thousand pregnant mothers were put up in the homes run by religious orders in Ireland. Minister for Children Charlie Flanagan, said to it’s time to seek the truth about this dark period of Irish history. “It’s paramount to establish the truth, rather than indulging in speculations”. Irish bishops gathered in Maynooth welcomed the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and in a public statement expressed a veritable “mea culpa”: “Sadly we are being reminded of a time when unmarried mothers were often judged, stigmatised and rejected by society, including the Church. This culture of isolation and social ostracising was harsh and unforgiving. The Gospel calls us to treat everyone, particularly children and the most vulnerable, with dignity, love, compassion and mercy”. “The Church – commented Paul Keenan – has gone through a difficult period, overwhelmed by the scandal of sexual abuse. The Church was profoundly damaged by that scandal. But from that tragic experience she drew a very important lesson. The Church realized that the only way to move forward is to speak the whole truth”.