Stories of symphysiotomy survivors recounted in documentary

Women who survived a barbaric procedure in Irish maternity hospitals are hoping their stories will go global following the release of a documentary.

Yesterday, more than 100 symphysiotomy survivors attended the first screening of Mothers Against The Odds, and vowed to keep up the fight for official recognition of their plight.

Many of the women limped or used walking sticks — a legacy of the chronic pain and disability they were left with following the procedure carried out between the 1940s and 1980s in which their pelvises were sawn open to facilitate child birth during a difficult labour.

Broadcaster Marian Finucane, who launched the screening, said she was deeply affected by the issue.

“It’s absolutely shocking. It’s still a live issue in that the women have not had any redress at all.”

Symphysiotomy had been abandoned in other countries decades earlier in favour of caesarian section, but was continued in Irish hospitals in the belief it would allow unlimited future pregnancies.

Women undergoing caesarians were advised to restrict their pregnancies — advice the Catholic Church opposed.

Documentary makers Ronan Tynan and Anne Daly were working on a film about substandard and abusive maternity practices in Kenya when they found moves to revive symphysiotomy there as a cheaper alternative to caesarians. They decided to tell the parallel stories of women in both countries.

“In Africa I found Ireland and in Ireland I found Africa,” said Ms Daly. “The two are linked because when women’s rights are not respected, terrible things can happen.”

Mr Tynan, a veteran of filming conflict and suffering in Rwanda, East Timor, and Bangladesh, was taken aback by his work on this film.

“I was very surprised that it would be in Ireland interviewing women who endured symphysiotomy that I would be more affected than meeting victims of torture in other parts of the world.”

After 10 years of campaigning by the Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SOS) group, the Government commissioned a report on the subject, the first phase of which was published last summer.

SOS rejected it on the grounds that it judged the majority of the procedures acceptable given the medical wisdom at the time. Its members are refusing to co-operate with the second phase, in which they were to be interviewed.

Marie O’Connor, SOS chairwoman, said the women deserved an independent inquiry and called for the lifting of the statute of limitations to enable them take court cases despite being years past the legal deadline.

Ms Finucane said she was struck by how little voice the women had.

“Unfortunately they are faced with that Irish thing of, they are going to have to go hauling through the courts to prove an obvious injustice.”

A trailer for Mothers Against The Odds is on YouTube and the film’s makers are in talks with television companies around the world about its international release.