Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)

I wish to share time with Deputy Peadar Tóibín.

I never heard of symphysiotomy or pubiotomy until a year ago. It was brought to my attention by two very brave women, Ms Olivia Kearney and Ms Catherine Naughton, women of great grace and courage. Since then, I have met many other victims and survivors, and the advocacy groups. I commend them all. I commend an Teachta Ó Caoláin on his leadership on this issue.

Symphysiotomy and pubiotomy amount to institutional abuse. Symphysiotomy involves acts of butchery against female citizens The State should be deeply ashamed about what it allowed to happen to them because of the influence of conservative religious fundamentalism.

Last night, a group of survivors, including Matilda Behan, Ellen Moore, Helen Kennealy and Anne Ward, who spoke on behalf of her mother Mary MacDonogh, gave testimony to the hurt and trauma they suffered. As colleagues have said, the accounts were deeply distressing and upsetting for those who gave them and for us who listened in silence. The 200 or so survivors of symphysiotomy are mainly elderly and some are becoming quite frail. They carry the deep physical and emotional scars.

A woman called Lilly McDonnell called to see me in Drogheda. She was a victim 60 years ago and told me how her child was killed in the course of this procedure and of the physical damage done to her. She showed me the child's birth certificate. Like the other survivor, Lilly lives daily with the harrowing consequences of what was done to her six decades ago.

I do not want to give a history of the practice or of the use of misinformation to deny the victims justice and truth, or of the destruction of records, the shameful use of many of the women as teaching aids in hospitals without their consent, and the denial of proper after care. These details have already been outlined graphically. Our focus as Teachtaí Dála must be to ensure this deep wrong is finally brought to a conclusion in a way that is acceptable to the victims. In a real republic the rights of these citizens would have been protected and the survivors of symphysiotomy would have had justice many years ago. They have campaigned for truth. They have asked one Minister for Health after another to provide the truth through the establishment of a full public inquiry.

I am deeply disappointed by the Minister's statement today, however, even though he was moved by the case of the witness brought here by other colleagues. There is all-party support for these women. In opposition, the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, gave his full support to the demand for a public inquiry at an Oireachtas committee hearing in 2009. Now he has the responsibility and the power to finally make it happen. He can say he will authorise a full public inquiry into these events. Nothing else will suffice. Nothing else will do.

I know from my experience in a different area that unless the victims are given satisfaction, the campaigning, but more importantly, the hurt, the anguish, the grief and the bereavement will go on. Given the increasing age of the victims, the chronic pain and constant medical intervention they require, it is urgent the Minister deals with this by giving them support now. I appeal to the Minister to assure victims today that he will hold an inquiry as they have requested. I also appeal to him to ask the Government to agree to the lifting of the statute bar to allow victims to seek redress through the courts.

There are several justice campaigns which can be resolved in this Dáil term. They include Justice for the Maggies, for other victims of institutionalised abuse, including Bethany Home and at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda, and victims of symphysiotomy. These causes are crying out for justice. We can do something about it. These women as citizens deserve our support, our love and they particularly deserve to have their wrong righted. We as Teachtaí Dála have a duty to make this happen.

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