In “The Lost Children of Tuam,” the New York Times tells the tragic story of “mother and baby” homes in Ireland, facilities for unmarried mothers where infants died by the hundreds. Those who survived were forcibly separated from their mothers and routinely abused. The mother and baby homes were closely related to and preceded by Ireland’s infamous Magdalene Laundries, Catholic institutions that enslaved thousands of “fallen” women during the 19th and 20th centuries.
What the Times article missed is the story closer to home: Magdalene Laundries existed in the U.S. nearly as long as they did in Ireland. They were at least as numerous in this country and just as brutal.
Worldwide attention on the Magdalene Laundries and mother and baby homes in Ireland have led to investigations into these interconnected institutions, enhanced by the testimony of numerous survivors and their descendants. The Irish state has apologized and offered compensation for wrongful treatment.
[For more on this story by RHEANN KELLY, CHRISTINA KOVATS, NATALIE MEDLEY go to https://www.themarshallproject...america?ref=hp-1-111]
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