Cervical cancer protesters vow not to be silenced

HUNDREDS of protesters who gathered in simultaneous rallies in Cork and Dublin warned last night they would not be silenced until the proposed life-saving cervical cancer vaccine programme is reinstated.

Organised through the social networking site Facebook, the protests will put additional pressure on the Minister for Health Mary Harney — who has drawn heavy criticism since she announced the scheme to vaccinate 12-year-old girls would not go ahead — to rethink her decision.

So far 10,638 people have signed up to a Facebook group entitled Harney must reinstate cervical cancer vaccine.

Set up in November by Shauneen Armstrong, she said she was “completely overwhelmed” by the response.

“We had 5,000 members in the first few days,” she said.

“This points to the anger people are feeling.”

Speaking at the vigil were opposition health spokespersons Jan O’Sullivan, Labour; James O’ Reilly, Fine Gael; and Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Sinn Féin, who urged the Government once again to reinstate the planned vaccine.

“In view of the fact that it is life-saving, and the Government had intended to introduce it, I would strongly urge the minister to introduce the vaccine as planned in September of next year,” said Ms O’Sullivan. She added she did not know of any other health service that would reverse a positive decision.

“This got people’s hopes up and then let them down.”

Organiser of the Cork vigil Sorcha Daly said she had heard about the Dublin protest through Facebook, and felt a simultaneous rally in Cork would send a stronger message.

“I was very angry over the cuts and I feel really strongly about it as my mother had cervical cancer a few years back and my sister had pre-cancerous cells at the age of 26. It was a very scary time,” she said

“Now my sister’s daughter is at the age where she should be getting vaccinated.”

Ms Daly said she had listened carefully to Mary Harney’s debates on the issue and felt she had made the wrong decision. “I have never done anything like this before and I am a very fair person, but this is so wrong. Obviously the minister thought it was a good thing or she wouldn’t have introduced it in the first place,” she said.

“€9.7 million is not that hard to find — this was the wrong thing to cut back,” Ms Daly said.

Ms Armstrong urged people who could not attend the vigils to email Mary Harney to “let her know we are not finished with our campaign, we have only started”.