Latest: 'National Maternity Hospital needs to be owned by the State'
Up to 1,500 people have protested in Dublin over the ownership of the new National Maternity Hospital.
The 'We Own Our Hospitals' march was organised by Parents for Choice, together with Uplift, the National Women's Council, and Justice for Magdalenes.
Orla O'Connor, the Director of the National Women's Council of Ireland, said their message is clear.
She said: "The Government need to resolve this, we need to have the new National Maternity Hospital, but it needs to be owned by the State."
The Minister for Health Simon Harris says giving him an extra month to examine the ownership model of the hospital will get it "absolutely right".
He maintains that the current plans would guarantee its autonomy and independence from any religious interference, but Sinead Redmond from 'Parents for Choice' is not convinced.
Keep our #NationalMaternityHospital public! 100000 signatures delivered to Simon Harris today! pic.twitter.com/sp4ZalLiNh
— Natasha Duffy (@Natasha_Duffyyy) May 7, 2017
“Do we have any assurances that what has happened in other religiously owned and run hospitals, such as the Mater - where cancer trials have been pulled because they required women to use contraception?” she asked.
“The answer to all that is no we don’t.
“There is a general wrongness in this action and it should be really, really obvious to the government that this is not something that should happen, that it is obviously going to outrage people and that people don’t trust the Sisters of Charity to do what is best with their ownership of the National Maternity Hospital.”
Getting ready to give women the support they deserve w/ @Natasha_Duffyyy ✌ 103,600 signatures along one scroll. #NationalMaternityHospital pic.twitter.com/PWFgnKMHOC
— Max Kane (@MaxTKane) May 7, 2017
She said it is a mark of disrespect to the survivors of mother and baby homes, “and to the people of Ireland, to give the Sisters of Charity ownership of our National Maternity Hospital.”
"As parents, we are protesting to protect our maternity care and our daughters' future care, and to ensure that healthcare facilities paid for by the people of Ireland are accountable to and run by the people of Ireland,” she said.
The various groups including Justice for Magdalenes say the hospital belongs in public not private hands.
Sinead Redmond, speaking for Parents for Choice says the Health Minister has got it wrong.
"[There is a] general wrongness in this action and it should be really, really obvious to the Government that this is not something that should happen, that it's obviously going to outrage people and that people don't trust the Sisters of Charity to do what's best with their ownership of the National Maternity Hospital," she said.
A similar protest is also taking place outside Sligo Courthouse at 2pm today.
