Pro-choice politicians and media have been focussing on the new National Maternity Hospital this month with Radio, TV and Print news saturated with the story. Theres a definite feeling that all is not well with the way the National Maternity Hospital will be governed.
In a recent news report by Breakingnews.ie, Leader of Fine Gael, Leo Varadkar was asked about the ongoing debacle concerning the National Maternity Hospital;
“This hospital has to be publicly owned and it has to be the case that any obstetric or gynaecological service that’s legal in the State has to be available in that hospital” Varadkar said in reference to elective abortions being carried out in the proposed new Maternity hospital.
Fianna Fail leader, Micheál Martin told RTÉ:
“The key point is that of course, in terms of the hospital itself, it will serve the women of Ireland. It will not be in any way influenced by any religious ethos whatsoever, I’m very confident about that aspect of it”.
Last year, the Sisters of Charity said it intended to gift 29 acres of land worth €200 million at the St Vincent’s Hospital site to the Irish people, with ownership of the land being transferred by the religious order to a new independent charity St Vincent’s Holdings.
However, pro-choice People Before Profit TD Brid Smith is not happy with this arrangement stating;
“I don’t think the women of this country, those of us who fought so hard (in reference to REPEAL) should go forward with a new maternity hospital that is still dominated by the (Catholic) ethos of the St Vincent’s Group,” she said.
According to Breakingnews.ie, Smith could not accept the guarantee that full reproductive rights, (abortion) including gender realignment (sex changes) will be available, “because the constitution of the new holding company specifically states that its core values are identical to that of the St Vincent’s Group”.
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