Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Like many others, I sat in my car earlier listening to "Morning Ireland". Unlike other mornings, however, I sat there frozen, shocked, angry and upset as I listened to Emma Mhic Mhathúna speak about her diagnosis of cervical cancer, her misdiagnosed smear tests and how her full medical history was kept from her until last week. Emma told us that her cervical cancer is terminal. She spoke about having to tell her five young children that she is dying. Her youngest is the same age as my grandson and I cannot comprehend having to try to share that news with a two year old. She said, "I'm dying while I don't need to die". Not only does Emma feel that she has been let down by the Government and the HSE, she knows it. Emma said, "the Government isn't doing anything about it. ... surely the Taoiseach is going to do something, and he just seems to be sticking up for them." That is how it appears to the victims - that the Government is sticking up for those who were in charge when the decision to withhold information from women and their families was made. It appears that the wagons have been circled and that those at the top are protecting each other. What about the victims? Who will protect them?

Stephen Teap lost his wife to cervical cancer. He found out last week that she was one of the 209. She was given two false negative results. Speaking on "The Ray D'Arcy Show" he said that the head of the HSE was not accepting accountability for this and that until the Government sends him out the door, it cannot be seen to have control of the situation. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade has met Mr. Teap and I am sure Mr. Teap told him the same thing he told Ray D'Arcy. This morning, not long after listening to Emma's interview, I took a telephone call from Lynn who lives in Carrick-on-Shannon. She is a mother of two and had to undergo a radical hysterectomy at the age of 39. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer and she was one of the women who was given a false negative. In fact, she was given three negatives in a row. Lynn contacted me because she wants accountability. She has added her voice to the calls for Mr. Tony O'Brien to stand aside. It is not good enough that Mr. O'Brien is shielded or that the Government simply says that he will be gone soon in any event.

As I listened to Emma's interview I, like others, fought back tears. This woman and the victims of this scandal need and deserve accountability. Does the Minister have confidence in Mr. Tony O'Brien? Emma said this morning, "They're all hiding there in the Dáil and they don't see what I see." Is the Minister going to stop hiding?

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