Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Breen is arguing that the reason he will defend these cases is that he believes the non-disclosure did not lead to adverse clinical outcomes. We are aware that earlier this year Vicky Phelan was fundraising for treatment. We are aware that if some of the women who are now unfortunately deceased had been aware in 2014 that there was a misdiagnosis and had been informed at the time that they had options for treatment, then the outcomes could have been different. They could have taken part in clinical experiments and so on. Does Mr. Breen not think that has value in itself? If these women knew this information earlier, it would not have changed their diagnosis of cervical cancer but it would have allowed them to look at other types of treatment, drugs or clinical trials. Those options were delayed. In three cases in which proceedings against the State are under way the options were not only delayed but those involved never had the opportunity to take them up in the first place. How can Mr. Breen say that there is no liability on the State?