Sir, - As somebody who worked in the National Maternity Hospital for many years as a student nurse, staff nurse and ward sister I wish to apologise sincerely to all those parents whose babies had organs removed at post-mortem.
Apart from sorrow, I feel great anger as the nursing staff, and also the junior doctors I am sure, were never aware that this practice was going on. Did the ethics committee know about it, and if so why was it allowed to happen?
Having looked after many ill babies who died, and grown to love them during their short little lives, I have some idea what their parents must be feeling at present. But at least they do not feel the shame that I feel at even unwittingly being part of this appalling practice. - Yours, etc.,
Nuala Hughes S.R.N., S.C.M., Churchtown, Dublin 14.