Upwards of 80,000 people have signed a petition to deny the Sisters of Charity organization the full ownership of the new maternity hospital.
In light of this, the review board at St. Vincent’s Healthcare Group is now set to reconsider the proposed ownership of the facility.
The Sisters of Charity organization, which still owes a substantial amount to a redress fund for victims of institutional abuse, was slated to be handed over full ownership, as the charity owns the grounds where the hospital will be sited.
This provoked national outcry, because the charity’s religious ethos may come in direct contradiction with certain procedures that might need to be carried out.
The Sisters of Charity owned some of the now infamous Magdalne Laundries workhouses, where women were regularly mistreated and abused under the uncaring auspice of the Catholic church.
A popular opposition campaign has achieved the intended result, as the charity organisation may now not be able to control the facility outright.