National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street
The Pro Life Campaign has claimed that in the run-up to last year’s abortion referendum “there was a deep seated reluctance on the part of the Government to listen to the experiences of parents who had received a misdiagnosis for their unborn baby, where in many instances the baby turned out to be perfectly healthy.”
The Pro Life Campaign made its remarks following yesterday evening’s report that a couple have complained to the National Maternity Hospital after they were given an alleged misdiagnosis of a ‘fatal foetal abnormality’, only to discover that their baby was perfectly healthy following test results that came back after the abortion had already taken place.
Commenting on yesterday evening’s tragic story, Eilís Mulroy of the Pro Life Campaign said:
“The reluctance of the Government to listen to the perspectives and experiences of families in these situations hasn’t changed since the referendum. I sincerely hope after yesterday evening’s reported tragedy there will be a greater openness on the part of the Minister for Health to listen to these families instead of shutting out contributions that don’t fit in with the Government’s narrow focus to date in this whole area. Parents of children who received a misdiagnosis have been dismissed and brushed aside for way too long. If their stories were treated with the respect and prominence they deserve, tragedies that will otherwise occur in the future could be avoided.
“What an awfully sad and tragic outcome for the baby in the latest case. The Minister for Health is duty bound to do whatever it takes to minimise the chances of something like this ever happening again. He should start by listening to the stories of parents who have no agenda other than to share their personal stories which shed light on the whole area of misdiagnoses and how it impacts on families and outcomes for the babies at the centre of these cases.”
“Ultimately, with abortion the issue is not about whether a baby has a disability or a life-limiting condition. It is about the fact that it ends the life of an innocent unborn baby.”
ENDS