348 'barbaric' operations at hospital

New evidence has emerged that a "barbaric" operation, carried out as an alternative to Caesarean section, was practised on a much larger scale in Irish hospitals than previously thought.

A support group of women who underwent symphysiotomies, which involves the permanent widening of the pelvis, has obtained figures which show that 348 of the operations were carried out in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda between 1950 and 1983.

Several hundred such procedures were also carried out at maternity hospitals in Dublin, according to official figures.

Many of the women say their consent was never sought for the operations and are now suffering from a range of conditions including incontinence, acute back pain and mobility problems.

The Survivors of Symphysiotomies (SOS) group, which described the practice as "barbaric", is calling for an inquiry into the widespread use of the operation, but the Department of Health says it had no plans to do so. The group is also seeking compensation and some of the women are preparing a class action lawsuit.

A spokeswoman for the Louth branch of the SOS, Ms Sheila Martin, said many of the women had only recently found out their health problems were linked to the operations.

"The health authorities don't want to know about this. We'll be going to the Dáil next week to demand that our questions are answered. We want to know why so many operations were carried out with such disastrous outcomes," Ms Martin said.

Ms Jacqueline Morrissey, an academic who is completing a PhD on the subject, said she was "surprised" by the findings in Louth and suggested that doctors who trained in Dublin had brought the practice to other parts of the country.

The operation is usually confined to rare emergencies, but Ireland was unique among European countries in terms of the number of procedures carried out. Irish surgeons continued to carry out the operation on a large scale despite condemnation from visiting doctors, one of whom described it as "midwifery of the dark ages".

Ms Morrissey said there was evidence to show the operation was carried out for religious rather than medical reasons. Documents show some doctors feared women faced with the prospect of repeated Caesarean sections when giving birth might opt for contraception or sterilisation. The Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, however, says that while religion may have played a role in the practice, it was used chiefly as an alternative to the Caesarean section, seen as more dangerous 50 years ago.

However, a letter from Dr Alex Spain, a proponent of the procedures in the 1950s, said that Caesarean sections were "safe" but that its acceptance would lead to "contraception, the mutilating operation of sterilisation and marital difficulty". Use of the operation grew dramatically in the National Maternity Hospital under Dr Spain from the late 1940s onwards.

The North Eastern Health Board did not respond yesterday to a request for it to comment on the scale of symphysiotomies carried out in Our Lady of Lourdes hospital.

However, The Irish Times understands that the Institute of Obstetricians is preparing a report for the Department of Health on the scale of the operations in the Drogheda area.

Some politicians have called for an inquiry including Green Party chairman Mr John Gormley TD and Sinn Féin TD Mr Arthur Morgan.