Terry Brennan (Fine Gael)

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, agus ba mhaith liom ar dtús fáilte romhat ar eis an tAire Stáit go dtí an Seanad.

Like some of my previous menfolk colleagues, I am not qualified to speak on this matter. However, I acknowledge the pain and distress that has been caused and that it will continue to be a great source of continuous pain for the women who suffered this barbaric procedure, not so long ago in some instances.

I welcome the news that the Walsh report will be available within weeks. The Minister and the Minister of State are committed to addressing the issues that have arisen out of the legacy of the past practice of symphysiotomy and that they both hope to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion. I hope they do so as quickly as possible. I firmly believe that the women who suffered this barbaric procedure deserve nothing less, as the Minister of State stated earlier, and the sooner the better. I note that 1,400 similar procedures were carried out on women spanning the years from 1944 to 1992. I was born during that period but I cannot tell the Members the year. Thankfully, my mother did not undergo the barbaric procedure. I am happy to say that my three children, and more recently my three grandchildren, were born in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. My children were born in the late 1960s and early 1970s and I am pleased that the barbaric procedure of symphysiotomy was not performed on my good wife during the births.

I, too, congratulate my Labour Party colleagues and my colleague from Dundalk, in particular, on tabling the motion. I wish and hope that the report will be published and that we can look after the survivors. Sadly, many of the women who suffered this barbaric procedure have gone to their eternal reward having suffered pain for many, many years.