A high-profile inquiry into the treatment of unmarried mothers and their babies by 14 State-linked religious institutions in Ireland from 1922-1998 was launched on 9 January, 2015. The inquiry will investigate into several aspects of this scandal, including mother-baby homes, vaccine trials for babies, and illegal foreign adoptions. However, tens of thousands of people affected by this crisis may be excluded from the inquiry, says the article. According to Susan Lohan, Adoption Rights Alliance spokesperson, the investigation may be overlooking illegal adoptions from State hospitals, which she says number in the tens of thousands over the decades-long crisis. These adoptions did not occur within mother-baby homes but were nonetheless part of the scandalous treatment of unmarried mothers and their children during that time.
