Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

This is another extraordinarily dark chapter in the hidden history of this State. It only came to light as a result of the struggle of these women to bring to light the mutilation visited upon them by a medical profession influenced by a Catholic ethos which claimed to represent some notion of spirituality or holiness but under which they were treated barbarically. Some 1,500 women underwent this utterly barbaric procedure and only 200 of them remain alive. This means that 1,300 women who suffered through the procedure will never obtain justice in respect of what was done to them. I reiterate that this is just an appalling chapter in our State's history. Redress for these women cannot come soon enough.

This matter was brought to the attention of previous Governments and it is a shame that it has taken until now for action to be forthcoming. It is as a result of a long struggle on the part, crucially, of the women themselves, of those who have supported them and, finally, of people in this Parliament that we have reached this point. I commend Sinn Féin for tabling this Private Members' Bill. The fact the Government has agreed to support the legislation is obviously a positive development. It is critical that it moves quickly to ensure the women involved receive the compensation to which they are entitled and all of the supports they need and deserve. For those survivors who are still with us, these developments have come very late. In that context, there should be no foot-dragging or delay when it comes to ensuring they receive the support and redress they require. We must ensure this type of horrendous treatment of women - as Deputy Clare Daly indicated it continues to this day - is brought to an end and that the pernicious influence of a certain ethos, which can still lead to the mistreatment of women and which still lingers, is overthrown. We must ensure this sort of thing never happens again.

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