As a small nation, the Republic of Ireland isn’t thought of internationally for more than their neutrality in international conflicts and lighthearted stereotypes about alcoholism, leprechauns, and four leaf clovers. But recently they have gained international attention for what are called the Magdalene Laundries and their vote on repealing the 8th Amendment, which would legalize abortion.

While these topics seem disassociated at the first glance, they are in fact closely related; one is a means, and the other is the end.

False Claims of Selling Orphans

In 2009, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, by English Reporter Martin Sixsmith, supposedly detailed the forced adoptions of bastard children by the Ireland’s Catholic Church and brought attention to asylums that were dubbed “Magdalene Laundries.” However, Sixsmith profited greatly from the sales of the Philomena Lee story and subsequent documentaries on Magdalene Laundries, and it is clear that he plays upon prejudices instead of facts to make a profit.

Being an atheist and British national, Sixsmith was never without bias on his topic, and he painted the church with a wide brush in his book to misconstrue the operations of these religious institutions and often outright lied. Indeed, the claims of his book and the subsequent film do not hold up to the facts and have never been proven. An entire scene detailing an argument between Sixsmith, Philomena Lee, and Sister Hildegarde McNulty (the vindictive Nun who forced Lee to give her son up for adoption), where McNulty supposedly shamed Lee for having a child out of wedlock, could never actually happened. Afterall, Sister McNulty died nine years before Sixsmith began helping Philomena Lee find her son.

Unlike what was claimed, Irish Catholics never “sold” children to prospective families in the United States. Anyone who has ever gone to Church would know that for any service they offer, or even so much as attendance, offering a tithe to pay for their needs is customary. Money was donated to further the Church’s mission, and it was not mandatory.

Furthermore, the portrayal of life in a Magdalene Laundry was misconstrued and exaggerated. Many tales are old propaganda spread by Protestants in Northern Ireland during the Troubles(while not a religious conflict in itself, Catholic and Protestant tensions have been prevalent for centuries and the majority of Northern Irish were Protestant in contrast to the Republic’s Catholics), and over the years has become accepted as real truth after being connected to stories by the few who remain who lived in the laundries. As a matter of fact, asylums for “fallen” women existed in North America, Australia, and other parts of Europe with the same practices, but operated by Protestant and other Christian denominations.

The reality is that a Laundry was a halfway house for unwed mothers of low means and adolescent girls who were victims of child abuse. Some were even placed there by their parents who no longer wished to raise or financially support them. At the time, there were no government programs to house and support single mothers and their children.

Life in a Laundry was difficult, as those living inside of them worked long hours doing difficult jobs to provide for their means. But reports neglect to mention that many were fairly paid for their services and others contributed to compensate their stay. The average work time is between thirty and thirty five hours per week, less than the shift of a full time job, and they were often able to get work they couldn’t find elsewhere.

The less than ideal working conditions were not exclusive to the laundries, considering that in the past, labor laws were less stringent than they are today. We should question why only a religious institution is being singled out for something that was not illegal and was being practiced by many others, especially when it allowed the most in need to provide for themselves when they had no other option.

The nuns who ran the laundries are often accused of being cruel and punishing to the women staying in the Laundries. Whether this is true or not has little to do with the Laundry itself, and it suggests an attempt to stoke prejudice instead of dealing with pertinent issues. The character of an individual is not the fault of the institution they serve, and an individual’s possible ill-demeanor does not outweigh the good they serve.

Christianity, in general, is about spreading the message of Christ and saving souls from eternal damnation. If individuals have failed in that duty, the burden of responsibility falls on them alone. For the same reason, the governing body of the Church is not to blame for individuals among the priesthood exploiting trust placed in their position to abuse young boys, because the Church has never said it was morally acceptable conduct but stressed the opposite. Group judgment can only apply if the message of the group is being carried out by the individual.

The False Scandal Surrounding Mass Graves

The largest example of evidence for the so-called abuse by the Catholic Church in Ireland is the discovery of mass graves, such as the Angel’s Pit and the septic tank in Taum. Following these discoveries, anti-Catholics made hyperbolic claims of the nuns killing bastard children or treating them with no remorse, none of which is true. The leading cause of deaths of children in the laundries was illness, such as measles and meningitis, which claimed just as many poor children outside of their walls. Mass graves in times of illness are very common, especially in Europe where there is little space to provide for proper graves.

While the methods of disposal are undoubtedly below the dignity these children deserved to be treated with, there is no evidence of foul play involved with the deaths. They were neither murdered nor led to their deaths through neglect. They fell prey to a horrible disease that has affected millions across the world.

The septic tank which Bon Secours sisters of Taum County in Galway allegedly used to dispose of up to 800 children is probably the most scandalous piece of news to come out of Ireland on this subject. However, articles often point to its nefarious nature without evidence. There are neither pictures of the septic tank or its contents nor eyewitness accounts of bodies being dumped inside. The claims mostly come from a former Fine Gael politician, Enda Kenny, who offers no evidence in support.

Enda Kenny himself has also been a controversial figure. His mismanagement as Taoiseach (Prime Minister) for the Fine Gael party led to several children and elderly losing their healthcare benefits, resulting in him coming under heavy criticism which he was desperate to deflect. With his strong dislike of the Catholic Church, he attacked them whenever he has the chance to shift blame in their direction instead of admitting his failures. When the Cloyne Report was published in 2011, Kenny skipped blaming those responsible for the sexual abuse of young boys to make unprecedented attacks on the Vatican (who also condemned the abuse) by accusing them of interference without proof. In his apology to “survivors” of the Magdalene Laundries, he promised reparations that were never delivered. He never cared about the women, using them as a means to attack the Catholic Church.

Smearing to Help Legalize Abortions

The timing of these flimsy attacks on the Catholic Church coinciding with the movement to repeal Ireland’s 8th Amendment cannot be ignored. Many in Ireland see legalizing abortion as the first step in a separation of Church and state and ending the influence of religion in their country. Their prejudice and hatred of religion has blinded them to the obvious contradiction of them feigning horror at the supposed treatment of children by the Catholic Church while ignoring the horrors committed against children by abortionists.

Is it much of a stretch to consider and investigate the possibility that information surrounding the Magdalene Laundries has been exaggerated or outright falsified by people with an agenda? Martin Sixsmith and Enda Kenny, given their political and philosophical stances, do not present themselves as unbiased.

The vote to join PESCO revealed Fine Gael not as the center-right party promised but as a secret far-left globalist party, and Kenny’s role as Taoiseach deliberately vilified conservative politics for the Irish people. After a police scandal left him no other option but to step down as Taoiseach, the mantle was passed to Leo Varadkar, who was further to the left. Since then, Kenny has joined a firm that will give him up to 22,000 euros for speeches and chosen not to seek re-election to the Dáil Éireann. That willingness to sell his politics raises questions as to whether or not his opposition to the Catholic Church was being bought. Evofem Biosciences, a California based pharmaceutical company specializing in contraceptives (and an outspoken advocate on “reproductive rights”) is a likely source.

The taint runs deep in the Fine Gael party. Varadkar, who previously held the position of Minister of Health, flipped his stance on abortion to become pro-choice. Most likely, this change of heart is connected to campaign fundraiser Thomas Lynch, the chairman of Evofem. Additionally, Tony O’Brien, the Director General of Ireland’s Health Service took a position with Evofem while still serving in his position and is also responsible for outsourcing cervical screenings to Clinical Pathology Laboratories in the United States.

The CEO of Evofem Biosciences, Saundra Pelletier, is also CEO of WomanCare Global, a so-called non-profit special interest group that provides contraceptives and equipment used to carry out abortions to those who would provide them.

Despite the feelings-based claims of supporting reproductive freedoms, Evofem Biosciences and its partners in the pharmaceutical industry stand to reap billions in profits (as they have in other countries) from repealing the 8th Amendment in Ireland and has been heavily involved with Fine Gael in recent years. Propagandizing the crimes of individuals in the Catholic Church and falsifying scandals is certainly helping that cause, by helping a select few become very rich whilst selling out the Irish people and their nation’s neutrality to enrich themselves. This corruption debunks claims that the repeal of Ireland’s 8th Amendment is being pushed to help women.