Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the contribution made on this issue by Deputy Clare Daly. It was also raised in the Dáil this morning by Deputy Howlin. This is a question of openness and accountability. It is not about apportioning blame for maternal deaths. Rather, it is about acknowledging what happened when there is a maternity-related death and to learn the lessons from that incident.

It is obviously a distressing and calamitous event for people when a mother or partner is lost. The failure to have maternity inquests is a glaring gap in our health and legal systems. We must have impartial investigations into all deaths. Families have to fight hard to have inquests held. There has been a limited number of inquests to date, with the verdict of medical misadventure applied to all of the deaths in question. As such, it is important that we put this on a statutory footing.

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