Ms Mairie Cregan:

A baby who either weighs more than 500g or was more than 24 weeks in gestation is entitled to a stillbirth registration certificate. This is important because it tells that the baby was born and is acknowledged in the register in Roscommon with all the others. The register is closed and only the parents or grandparents can get a stillbirth certificate. Siblings cannot access the register. We are hoping it will be open, just as the other registers, such as birth and deaths, are. Some of the long-ago bereaved feel they do not want this information in the public domain, so there could be an opt-out clause.

While we do not offer a service for symphysiotomy survivors, people come to us and we are very aware of other specialist groups in the area to which we refer people. One cannot be all things to all people. We help them through the fact that their babies died and their anger around the question whether the operation or the death came first. We always refer on to those who know more than we do. We believe in working with other groups and we have worked with many groups since our formation in 2010.