25 July 2025
Alongside my ongoing work on local priorities, I recently attended a deeply moving meeting with members of the Midlands Irish Survivors Group at the Coventry Irish Society. Survivors of Ireland’s Mother and Baby Homes came together to share their experiences, and I was honoured to listen and learn from them.
These institutions were operated across Ireland from the 1920s to the 1990s. They were intended to house unmarried pregnant women and their children at a time when societal attitudes were deeply shaped by shame and stigma. In reality, many of these homes became sites of widespread neglect, cruelty, and forced separation. Women were frequently coerced into giving up their babies for adoption, sometimes illegally, and many children were sent to industrial schools where they faced further mistreatment. The mortality rates in these homes were shockingly high: thousands of infants died, and in some cases, their remains were buried in unmarked graves.
The courage and dignity shown by survivors in Coventry is a powerful reminder of the need for justice and recognition. Their voices must be heard, and their experiences must be acknowledged not only as part of Ireland’s history, but as a shared responsibility for all of us who believe in dignity and human rights.
That’s why I’m proud to support Philomena’s Law. It is a campaign that seeks to deliver justice, recognition, and redress for survivors of Mother and Baby Homes now living in Britain. The law would ensure access to personal records, formal acknowledgment of their experiences, and the respect they have long been denied.
As your MP, I will continue to stand with survivors and work to ensure their stories help shape the policies and support they deserve. Their bravery in speaking out is not only a call for justice – it’s a call for compassion, accountability, and change.
