A woman who underwent a sterilisation procedure in early 1995 and discovered the following year that she had an ectopic pregnancy - a pregnancy outside the womb - was awarded £15,000 damages at the High Court yesterday.
Mrs Anne Maguire (38), of Muirhevenamore, Dundalk, sued the North Eastern Health Board for damages for alleged negligence in the conduct of the sterilisation procedure on January 18th, 1995.
The board denied the claim and pleaded that, without prejudice, it would rely on consents signed by Mrs Maguire at the time of the sterilisation.
Mrs Maguire claimed she had the sterilisation procedure carried out at Louth County Hospital in January 1995 when she was having a baby delivered by Caesarean section.
When she discovered in February 1996 that she was pregnant, she was severely shocked and traumatised. She was admitted to hospital for emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. Blood transfusions were necessary and she was extremely ill and distressed.
If she had been told at the time of the sterilisation that there was still a chance that she was going to become pregnant again, she claimed she would not have had the procedure carried out.
Mrs Maguire, under cross-examination, said she and her husband had been asked to sign forms prior to the sterilisation. She said that she did not read the form when given it.