Magdalene Laundries

[emmie]

I have been following this story, it's appalling wherever it stems, we look at other countries treatment of women, but the powers that be, should have been ashamed of themselves. Disturbing reading and one wonders little has changed in some quarters.

http://synonblog.dailymail.co.uk/2013/02/magdalen-laundries-or-how-british-bred-eugenics-put-a-little-magdalen-all-around-the-world.html

[emmie]

not just the RC church though is it. They do have a lot to answer for, not just this type of abuse, child abuse by priests, long covered up, it's stance on abortion, and use of preventive methods of contraception. I was watching a piece on the news the other evening about abortion in Ireland, women and men waving their placards and shouting their anti abortion hatred outside a clinic, for heavens sake what is wrong with these people.
Why do many Irish women have to come to England to have it done, it's traumatic enough without being away from home, family, support...

[slaney]

@Lazygun - the full report says that the Magdalen Laundries were operated on a subsistence or close to break-even basis rather than on a commercial or highly profitable basis. The reason they came to an end was surely more to do with changing times than the invention of the washing machine.

http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/MagdalenRpt2013

[elliemay1]

Slaney, I read that they were actually highly profitable. It's amazing that those women could be so cruel. I wonder what type of backgrounds they came from and how they were treated when they were young.

[emmie]

because they were righteous and had God on their side, that is how it works. Another thread on here is quite funny, it has Irishman Dave Allen in one clip explaining how he first went to church as a small child, seeing the nuns for the first time, very very illuminating.

[LazyGun]

@Slaney- You might well be correct, I am not expert in these institutions. I did read that comment from a serious commentator about them, but I doubt it is technically true - just a point he was making to highlight the point he was trying to make that at least for some of these institutions, they were making some profits.