When the Irish Government and Catholic Church collaboratively authored the 1937 Constitution, they centered family as the cornerstone of policy, defining it through a conservative Catholic lens. Marriage was deemed essential to motherhood, rendering unmarried mothers unfit and undeserving of support. This narrative led to 190,000 unmarried pregnant women being incarcerated in Catholic-run mother and baby homes, where they were hidden from society. Many abuses occurred, including the forced separation of children from their mothers and their adoption to married families.

In 2021, the Irish Government released The Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, examining these institutions. Using Schneider and Ingram’s Theory of Social Construction (1993) and Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (1999), I analyzed how the report represented unmarried mothers, past and present. While this study focuses on Irish women between 1937–1998, it highlights how policy shapes the social narratives that enable inhumane practices. This is especially relevant today, as religious influence continues to threaten women’s reproductive rights.

Keywords: Ireland, Deservingness, Unmarried Mothers, Schneider and Ingram Theory of Social Construction, Critical Discourse Analysis