Holly Cairns has said the sealing of archives of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission will add further trauma to survivors.
The Social Democrats TD said Taoiseach Micheál Martin now has a chance not to repeat mistakes made in the past.
Ms Cairns said: “If this legislation is passed in its current form we will see the archives from the commission of the mother and baby homes sealed for 30 years.
“That commission was brought about in light of 600 babies being found in a disused septic tank and these people haven’t found justice.
“This is being rushed through the Dáil without pre-legislative scrutiny.
“In this situation we’re talking about the most horrendous abuse.
“Of course we need to listen to the concerns of the survivors and planning what we do around them.
“Anything that disregards that further traumatises people that have suffered the worst kind of abuse at the hands of this State.”
The proposed legislation before the Dáil tomorrow would see sensitive and significant documentation sealed for 30 years.
Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman has said the legislation is needed to preserve access to invaluable information but would be sealed for 30 years pending the transfer of data to the National Archives.
But Ms Cairns said survivors do not want this to happen.
She said: “People should have the right to access their own data, human rights lawyers are saying it and the survivors themselves are saying it and they are the people we need to be listening to.
“And if we’re not listening to survivors we have to ask the question ‘who interests are we listening to in this situation?”
