Symphysiotomy survivors turn to UN for justice

Women whose pelvises were sawed in half to facilitate childbirth are to bring their fight for justice to the UN as they accuse the Government of refusing to admit they were wronged.

The Survivors of Symphysiotomy group is lodging its case with the UN Committee Against Torture and the UN Human Rights Committee.

It is estimated that up to 300 of the estimated 1,500 Irish women who underwent symphisiotomy between the 1940s and the early 1990s are still alive.

In its complaint, the group is arguing that symphysiotomy and pubiotomy, where the public bone rather than the pubic joint is cut, constituted torture under Article 1 of the Convention Against Torture, that “severe pain and suffering and both physical and mental” were intentionally inflicted and these acts were “deliberately and knowingly perpetrated”.

SOS also argues the physical and mental effects of the operations were lifelong and that symphysiotomy constituted human rights abuse, as it was carried out without consent and clinical need but rather because of “personal belief systems, fuelled by medical ambition and institutional interests”.

According to SOS chairwoman Marie O’Connor, the complaint is being “made because of the Government’s failure to promptly and impartially investigate symphysiotomy, as required under international law”.

Last year, the Government appointed Judge Yvonne Murphy to examine how an ex gratia compensation scheme could be structured.

SOS has says it does not support an ex gratia compensation scheme, as this would mean that liability would not be admitted.