Martin rules out inquiry into birth procedures

The Minister for Health ruled out a statutory public inquiry into the use of symphysiotomies used on women in hospitals to deal with obstructed labour.

Mr Martin warned that such an inquiry was a "very difficult scenario to go down the road, notwithstanding the very serious issues and the concerns expressed by the group, of retrospective analysis of medical procedures 20, 30 or 40 years ago".

He added: "Once you open that door, others may come through that door as well in terms of the advisability and acceptability or otherwise of a whole range of procedures which may have been carried out in different specialties in years gone by."

However, in response to a number of Opposition deputies, Mr Martin said that he would meet with the group of women concerned about the issue, "and we will see where we will take it from there".

The Minister said in his experience the easiest thing to do was to announce the setting up of an inquiry of some sort. "The pain, the trauma and so on, which can happen after that, can be quite significant," he added.

Mr Arthur Morgan (SF, Louth) commended the Minister for agreeing to meet the group. He added that the Minister held the possible solution because "if it were that wayward consultants out there were semi-insane and carrying out this crazy stuff on these women victims, you have it within your power to do something about it".

He said their suffering was on a par with the abuse which went on in State institutions, although on a smaller scale. "Irrespective of what doors are opened here, a very small number of people are asked to carry a very heavy load," he added.

The Fine Gael spokeswoman on health, Ms Olivia Mitchell, said that she supported the request for a meeting with the Minister, although she was not looking, at this stage, for a statutory inquiry because not enough was known to make that call.

"I would say, from what the Minister has said, and what I have heard myself from some of the women I have met today for the first time, I have to say it is quite the most harrowing meeting I have ever had with any group," she added. She said that sometimes the procedure was "carried out by stealth".

The Labour spokeswoman on health, Ms Liz McManus, said most people recognised now that it had been a very barbaric practice when there were possibilities of alternatives.

Mr John Gormley (Green Party, Dublin South East) suggested that the matter be taken step-by-step. He had requested that it be dealt with by the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, and then, perhaps, they could look at a non-statutory inquiry.

He urged the Minister to listen carefully to what the women had to say.