From The Archives

Nell McCafferty: The legal crucifixion of Joanne Hayes

Sedation, vilification, humiliation: Joanne Hayes’s public suffering was the anvil on which a modern Ireland was hammered out

The all-male Kerry Babies tribunal probed the sexual history of Joanne Hayes during the six-month inquiry: ‘What kind of young lady do we have here?’ All pictures: Derek Speirs
Joanne Hayes leaving the tribunal carrying flowers from supporters, which were brought daily by the Tralee Women’s Group. Picture: Derek Speirs

Joanne Hayes had three pregnancies by her married lover Jeremiah Locke, already a father of two, in the early 1980s. The successful campaign to amend the Constitution and outlaw abortion in all circumstances took place between June 1981 and September 1983.

Joanne’s first pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage in June 1982. Her second pregnancy ...