Hundreds to protest over 'total lack of choice' in birthing options

Jennifer Whelan, spokeswoman Irish Birth Movement, said the 'frustrating' delays in implementing that strategy are the main driver behind these marches. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Hundreds of people are expected to join protests calling for more birthing options, including better homebirth access, taking place in Limerick and Sligo on Saturday.

The Rally for Birth Options will hear how women face fewer choices in pregnancy and birth than ever before, despite promises made in the national maternity strategy almost 10 years ago.

The spokeswoman for organisers the Irish Birth Movement, Jennifer Whelan, said the “frustrating” delays in implementing that strategy are the main driver behind these marches.

“It’s time to start demanding things,” she said.

“The strategy said then there was a lack of choice. We’re nearly 10 years later and there’s been no real change. We need some answers, and we’re not asking for anything other than what was outlined in that strategy.” 

The strategy pledged to create birth centres near maternity hospitals to offer a less medical experience for low-risk births, including birthing pools. It also pledged to expand homebirth services. Both options were supposed to be part of a new supported care pathway.

Ms Whelan also called for more midwifery-led units, as there are still only two in Ireland.

“We’d like to see more access to water births,” she said. 

“We have the facilities, but we’re just not implementing it.” 

'Reinstating the service'

She also highlighted the worry caused by the abrupt closure of Private Midwives Ireland in August. It offered homebirths in areas the HSE service did not reach.

While Cork and Kerry enjoy good access to homebirths, as do women in Dublin, other areas do not.

Homebirth services in the Mid-West — Limerick, Clare, and North Tipperary — were suspended in June 2022 following the tragic death of Laura Liston. A review into her death has concluded. 

The HSE previously told the Irish Examiner that homebirth can only resume after recommendations are acted on.

“We are committed to reinstating the service as soon as possible, while ensuring all necessary measures are in place to provide the highest standard of care for both mothers and infants,” a spokesperson for the HSE said.

Ms Whelan, who is based in Limerick, described the situation as “a total lack of choice” now for women.

She described how, in her work with antenatal classes, she hears from women of "the effect of trauma that is directly associated with their experiences in Irish maternity wards". 

This is linked, she feels, with the rapidly rising rates of cesarean sections and inductions in Irish hospitals. 

The Irish Birth Movement said it led a letter-writing campaign to the HSE in the North-West, including Sligo, to have homebirth services put in place there.

'Creative solutions'

It called for “creative solutions” to encourage midwives to work in the community and support them in delivering homebirths.

A petition on Uplift that the movement organised, also calling for more choices in birth, had almost 3,000 signatures by Friday. 

The rallies are expected to be attended by people travelling from across Munster, including Cork to Limerick and from the north-west region to Sligo.

Advocates, parents, midwives, and other people working around pregnancy and birth such as doulas, are expected to be among those attending.

In November 2022, when changes to the national homebirth system were first discussed, over 400 people attended a protest in Cork against this.

Two Rally for Birth Options protests take place at 11am on Saturday. The Limerick rally is at Bedford Row and the Sligo rally is at Queen Maeve Square.

A Dublin rally will be at 2pm on October 23 outside the Dáil.