Spain nun on trial over babies 'stolen' under Franco

[MindMover]

A Spanish nun has become the first person to appear in court in connection with the alleged theft of newborn babies, mostly in the Franco era.

Sister Maria Gomez Valbuena, 80, is accused of stealing a mother's newborn daughter at a Madrid hospital in 1982.

Appearing before a judge on Thursday, Sister Maria refused to testify.

Thousands of babies are thought to have been taken from parents in hospitals and given to other families during the Franco dictatorship and later.

The alleged thefts are thought to have started in the 1936-39 Civil War. Some cases are believed to happened as late as the 1990s.

The practice is believed to have been motivated by a desire to remove children from "undesirable" left-wing parents and give them to "approved" right-wing families.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17692985

[Ecumenist]

1. WHAT THE F#CK??!! If some woman stole my child and I found out years later that she was the one who

took my baby, you'd be reading about it. Let's just say that. The fact she was a nun and over 65 wouldn't save her, trust me. What a horrific thing to do using the disguise of piety to do it. Youo are supposed to be able to trust these caregivers and this "thing" was betraying women, mothers who's only fault in her eyes was the fact that they were left wing?

My concern is that I'm not sure that we're far from this, depending on the outcome of the next few election cycles.