Dr. Lorraine Grimes is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Social Science Institute at Maynooth University Ireland on the project ‘Digital Preservation of Reproductive Health Resources: Archiving the Eighth’. 

 

Lorraine has a PhD from the National University of Ireland Galway. Her thesis titled ‘Migration and Assistance: Irish Unmarried Mothers in Britain 1926-1973’, examines the institutionalisation of Irish unmarried mothers in Mother and Baby Home institutions in Britain, and explores issues of maternity care, adoption, socio-economic class, unmarried fathers, and advocacy for unmarried mothers in the 1970s. 

 

Lorraine has worked on a number of projects including the World Health Organisation funded project; ‘Reproductive Health: The Implementation of Abortion Policy in Ireland’ which developed policy recommendations to the Department of Health, HSE and other key bodies on developing women’s access to abortion in Ireland. 

Lorraine was lead author of the report ‘Too Many Barriers: Experiences of Abortion in Ireland after Repeal’. Lorraine also has a number of recent publications focusing on unmarried motherhood, maternity care and stillbirth in Britain and Ireland.