Gynaecological procedure defended

A CONSULTANT at the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin has called for an end to “inaccurate and irresponsible” information about certain gynaecological operations which were carried out in this country.

The operations, known as symphysiotomies, involved sawing through the ligaments of a woman’s pubic bone to allow safe delivery. The procedure was carried out here until the 1980s.

Dr Peter Boylan, the former Master of the hospital, said it appeared that someone in a position of responsibility was “seriously misleading the women by either suppressing or ignoring the evidence”.