Contentious childbirth procedure 'genital mutilation'

CHILDBIRTH PRACTICES in hospitals in the past were described as aggravated sexual assault and “female genital mutilation”.

In a highly charged and emotional debate in the Dáil on the practice of symphysiotomy, where the pelvis is broken to assist childbirth, comparisons were made with Nazi medical experiments.

Victims of the practice and their supporters filled the public gallery for the debate, at which repeated calls were made for an inquiry and for time limits on litigation to be lifted to allow sufferers to sue for compensation.

An estimated 1,500 women, of whom 150 are still alive, underwent symphysiotomies which waned in most hospitals in the 1960s but continued in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda until 1984.

Government backbencher Jed Nash (Lab) told the story of one victim. “She was held down by nurses, her arms forced back, while a doctor sawed through her pubis in front of a theatre packed with students. She screamed at him to stop an operation for which her consent had neither been sought nor given. She said it was like she was forced to endure an aggravated sexual assault.”

The Louth TD said: “This is a woman, a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, who is now in her 80s but still cannot sleep at night. She has been incontinent most of her adult life and has suffered a succession of health problems as a result of the injuries inflicted upon her.”

Mr Nash added: “She was a young woman then when this horror was inflicted on her and occurred at a time when the world was still reeling at the atrocities carried out by the Nazis, including their gruesome medical experiments that we know about now.”

Ann Phelan (Lab, Carlow-Kilkenny) described the procedure as similar to female genital mutilation and the reasons for both were related to “sexual, health and religious concerns. Female genital mutilation is performed in Third World countries but we . . . should realise symphysiotomy is very similar and was preformed in Ireland until 1984”.

Independent TD Catherine Murphy (Kildare North) said it was “essential that an independent inquiry be established. The women concerned must be able to get answers as well as the medical treatment they require”.

She said teaching practice at the Drogheda hospital must be examined because if it had been exported to other states, “I would feel responsible for the impact on women in those countries”.

Regina Doherty (FG, Meath East) said it was not in the Dáil’s gift to “give these women back their lives” but “the commitment we can give is to ensure that the respect and the redress they are entitled to will be their reward”.

Minister for Health James Reilly said symphysiotomy was a “medical procedure that was used primarily before the advent of safe Caesarean sections. The procedure was carried out in Ireland from approximately 1920 until the early 1980s.” Dr Reilly said he was conscious of the distress the practice caused and “is committed to dealing with it sensitively, so that if at all possible, closure can be brought to those affected by it”.

A draft report would be made available for consultation “subject to legal advice” and there would be consultations with the women’s representative bodies, after which a final report would be produced, he said.

Fianna Fáil health spokesman Billy Kelleher said the real issue was the “higher incidence” in some hospitals and by some individuals. “Was this because some doctors genuinely believed it was the only possible medical intervention or were there other reasons? This is an important factor.”