Conference Poster


Eugenics in the Irish Free State 1922-1939

Abstract

Population decreased by 3.8 Million: 1841-1911 92.6% Catholic population: 1926 1,563,710 emigrated: 1876-1921 70 per 1,000 infant mortality rate: 1930-32 ● 1916 Proclamation of Independence ‘guarantees equal rights and equal opportunities to all its citizens’, however this was removed from the constitution. ● Special Position of the Catholic Church recognised in the 1937 Constitution (Bunreacht na hEireann) ● The 1937 Constitution enshrined women's place in the home as a mother, highlighting a pronatalist stance. ● The Casti Connubii (1930) determined the stance of the Catholic Church on abortion and contraception; emphasising that marriage was for reproduction. ● The Congested Districts Board under Lady Aberdeen sought to improve rural housing on the West coast. This scheme also provided healthcare and improved sanitation. ● This type of eugenics was about building a strong nation (rather than race or class) and was a response to modernisation and the threat to rural living.

Subjects

health, legislation, Ireland, church, eugenics,

Attachments

Authors

Shalvey, Aisling

Contributors

Supervisors: Turda, M

Oxford Brookes departments

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Dates

Year: 2017


© The Author(s)
Published by Oxford Brookes University

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License


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