Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
SURVIVORS OF SYMPHYSIOTOMY have said that they unanimously repudiate the Walsh report into the scandal.
The women met yesterday to discuss the government-commissioned report, which they described as “defending the latter-day practice of symphysiotomy, a mutilating operation that often led to horrendous side effects”.
Survivors
Over 160 survivors took part in the discussion, with Marie O’Connor, Chairperson of SoS, commenting afterwards:
Our members voted unanimously today to repudiate the findings of this deeply defective and distorted piece of work.
SoS urges the Minister for Health to abandon further consideration of Walsh and support the call of the Joint Committee on Justice to set aside the statute of limitations, so that all survivors can access the courts.
Dr Jacqueline Morrissey, the historian who first exposed the latter day practice of symphysiotomy in Ireland, strongly criticised the Walsh Report.
She said that Walsh’s use of statistics comparing maternal and infant death figures for Caesarean Section and symphysiotomy “did not compare like with like”.
She also queried Walsh’s assertion that the motivation behind the reintroduction of symphyisotomy at the National Maternity Hospital in the 1940s was not religious, but medical. Morrissey spoke about the religious views of Dr Barry at the National Maternity Hospital and Dr Feeney at the Coombe, both of whom carried out symphysiotomies.
Marie O’Connor, meanwhile, underlined that childbearing without limitation was the goal.
Mortality figures
O’Connor said that Walsh’s assertion that symphysiotomy was “safer” than a caesarean section was “baseless”.
The author’s own tables do not bear out her assertion that fetal mortality was “far lower” in sympysiotomy than in C-section. Walsh’s figures show that the death rate for both operations was the same. Survivor testimony also exposes the hollowness of this claim.
She also lambasted the theory that she said was advanced by Walsh, which was that these operations were mostly done as emergencies, and that they were justified.
Hospital reports and survivor testimony, including today, show that almost all of these operations were planned, and that they were carried out as procedures of choice in preference to Caesarean section. Walsh has failed signally to justify these scheduled surgeries.
Phase two
SoS has resolved not to co-operate with phase two of the Walsh Report.
The representative body is running its own independent consultation process on Walsh and today members decided unanimously to channel their views through the National Executive and not to take part in the Department’s so-called consultation process.
O’Connor explained:
Why would victims of institutional abuse participate in a process designed to manufacture consent to a whitewash report? Professor Walsh is unlikely to change her findings, even if she has been shown to be wrong in fact.
O’Connor also said she was concerned that SoS members were being ”pressurised to take part in the Department’s consultation exercise”.
She said SoS would be looking to the Minister for Health James Reilly to reassure them that participation was optional and that survivors could, “without loss of benefit, channel their views on the Walsh Report through SoS”.
The Walsh Report found that the pelvis-severing surgery was good medical practice, except in a very small number of cases. “Liability does not therefore arise,” said Marie O’Connor, “except in around three per cent of cases.”
Independent TD for Wicklow Stephen Donnelly, who attended yesterday’s meeting has called for the Walsh report to be “binned”. Donnelly said that the women had been “horrifically abused” and that the report has alienated the women for whom it is supposed to be seeking justice.
Professor Oonagh Walsh could not be contacted for comment.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Ireland should seek redress from the Nato countries for this amount. We are not causing this migration, just as we weren’t party to the bombing and destruction of Libya or Syria. The US has said that this war is going to be a very long one so the refugees are going to keep coming and those here are not going home soon, if ever.
Neutral Ireland should be shouting out loud for peace talks to start and not nodding agreement to the arms shipments pouring into Ukraine.
Is the President’s wife, Sabina Higgins, the only one in Ireland with a titter of wit or a shread of humanity?
@Bramley Hawthorne: so nothing to do with Russia?
Ukraine could never have joined Nato and everyone knows that. Nato’s charter does not allow a country to join that has conflict on its border and Ukraine had multiple even before the invasion.
Ukraine biggest mistake was to hand back all those nukes and to trust that Russia would abide to any agreement.
Should have kept a few and no one would bother them then.
@Bramley Hawthorne: or we should just pay it forward.
Half the world claims Irish heritage because so many found a place to begin a new life back in the 1800’s.
That’s not to saying they had it easy in the 1800’s. However, the good will of many foreign countries and their people should be remembered and used as rationale to treat these Ukrainian people with respect and understanding for their situation even if it costs us a few bob.
@Bramley Hawthorne: Ridiculous comment. Ireland offered to house these refugees.
@Jim Buckley Barrett: You are very good at trying to rewrite history. Russia attached Ukraine.
@Bramley Hawthorne: NATO did not start this war. Russia did. A war you told us was never going to happen because Russia would never invade Ukraineand it was all western lies.
@Bramley Hawthorne:
NATO did not create or start this war. Russia, and Russia alone is responsible.
@Paolo Fandango: Sadly, not all can afford it. Charity and activism can be great but if an old person can’t pay the heating bill that arrives or if a family can’t afford to buy a home because cost of living has eat into their salary/salaries, it’s not fair to force it upon them.
Hope our landlord politicians read this article to avoid any oversights in claiming the €400.
@Tom Keane: pretty sure they aren’t bother with the 400, it’s the multi million euro contract to host them in hotels that would get them out of bed in the morning
@Tom Keane: try it sometime
Yet our next generation of students suffer while trying to secure accommodation for the college term
@Paul Dolan: that bias comparison is only valid if those taking in refugees would ordinarily have taken in students and are not talking students now. Unlikely.
@Paul Clancy: not blaming the kindness of people but instead blaming our government
@Paul Dolan: have they not moved out of student accommodation already?
@Paul Clancy: I rang someone in work the other day because a letter we sent them had been returned undelivered to us. He said he was no longer at the address because the landlord evicted them so he could put in Ukrainian refugees.
@Paul Dolan: Suffering students?
we have 6 in our holiday home , 400 does not cover it.
@ChronicAnxiety: I wouldn’t do it for 400 the payment to Irish households to take people in should be more giving the rise in everything
@ChronicAnxiety: there was no mention of any payments at the start and you did it willingly
I know someone wanting to give out two rooms in their own home to help out. Tried for about 5 months chasing everyone with calls and dropping in. Got the run around from everyone including red Cross and local council. Eventually contacted local td few times and they called back to say unfortunately only looking for a 5 bedroom house
Isn’t everyone in the country?!!?!
Know someone else waiting for few months and no news.
Why can’t they offer something for students too. They also need assistance
@Trevor W: They do…. You can rent a room to a student and earn up to 14.5k tax free. I think that’s a good deal for both the student and the home owner.
Fair dues to those who accommodate Ukrainians in their own homes and I don’t think they did it for the money … 400 euros is great value for the taxpayer too compared to what’s paid out to hoteliers etc. Can’t understand why they can’t get their act together and place more in homes…..lots of people have pledged and for some reason they’re not being followed up. The Red Cross got millions on the Late Late show and seem to have made a complete horliks of the whole pledging and hosting situation.
As a lot of Closed Commercial Premises have now opened up to accommodate the Refugees, how much does these establishments such as Hotels, Guest Houses and B&Bs receive per person staying, and is Food and Laundry charged as an extra per person staying or is it included in the Base Allowance.
@Owen G Mc Ginley: Ahh Owen. What are you asking that sensible question for? You trying to understand how the books are balanced on this? Back in your box pal. Nothing for you to see here. Just a whole class of hotel and accommodation owners creaming it off the back of the “taxpayer”. All borrowed money as well, in Ireland’s name. Keep quiet though, all these well heeled hoteliers and property owners are friends of TDs and hold sway and influence. These are the people benefiting from immigration, crying about how we need to bring in people from abroad who will work for minimum wage in their businesses whilst availing of other working people’s tax funded subsidies such as HAP to just put a roof over their heads. You keep working away now – they’ll just take 52% of your earnings, tax you anytime you drive, park, eat, drink, heat your home, buy anything. There’s a good little worker now – you’redoing God’s work! We’re all doing our bit now. Some people just get money while others have it taken away. Sure what do you need money for – you wouldn’t know what to do with it – you’d never appreciate the finer things in life!
400 Euro per month wouldn’t cover the cost of the electricity bill at the rate its going up plus gas as well
have your say