Bereaved mothers unite ahead of CUMH protest on baby organ incineration

Leona Bermingham, Sarah Jane Connolly, and Katie Quilligan, whose babies' organs were sent for incineration without their permission. Picture: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision

Three bereaved mothers whose babies’ organs were incinerated without their knowledge or consent insist they won’t rest until they get answers for their “angels”.

They say their babies deserve respect and they have appealed to the public to join them in a protest outside Cork University Maternity Hospital (CUMH) next week to demand the HSE publish the findings of a report into why multiple organs of 18 dead babies, all born at CUMH, were sent to Belgium for incineration without their parents’ permission or knowledge.

“We want to know who signed off on this and why,” Katie Quilligan said.

Katie’s baby boy, James, died two days after he was born prematurely at CUMH in January 2020.

Katie said she only found out what had happened to baby James’s organs after his death the night before news of the controversy was first reported by RTÉ Investigates in September 2021.

She said she got a phone call the night before the programme aired to say a story was about to break and that she and baby James would be affected by it.

“It was heartbreaking and we were clueless about what to do next,” Katie said.

“I didn’t sleep for two weeks, just trying to process what we had learned.

“I was ringing the hospital and my own doctors trying to get answers.

And we’re still waiting for answers I don’t think I’ll be able to fully accept or process what happened until we get those answers

“Waiting is like going through the grieving process all over again.

“The HSE is letting us down — the parents who are involved in this, and the 18 babies.” 

Independent review

When details of the scandal emerged, the HSE promised an independent review. But almost nine months later, the families are still waiting for the report which they hope will provide answers.

A spokesman for the South South West Hospital Group, of which CUMH is part, said work on the review is ongoing and that it will be published once it is finalised.

Katie, Leona Bermingham, who helped the story become public, and Sarah Jane Connolly, another mum caught up in the controversy, all united on Thursday to call again on the HSE to publish the report.

Katie said they have been told the first draft has been finalised, but the HSE has been given legal advice not to present it to the families who were affected yet.

“When the health minister said we’d get answers by last November, we believed him but November has come and gone, and we are well past it now and we are still waiting for answers,” she said.

“The first draft is ready but we’ve been told that the HSE is under legal advice not to give it to us.

The fact that it’s even gone to legal advice is worrying. What have they found, what’s going to come out. They should just tell us what happened

“This has caused a lot of depression and anxiety. But I am now driven to get the answers for my son’s sake.

“And until we get them, I'm not going to be quiet. I want my baby’s voice heard and the rest of the babies too.” 

Sarah Jane said her baby Nora deserves answers.

“We all do. She can’t stand up for herself, she’s not here,” she said.

'I am going to fight for Lee'

Leona said her biggest fear is that something like this could happen to another grieving family.

“I just don’t want to hear of any other grieving family having been put in this position,” she said.

“So I am going to fight for Lee. I’m going to fight for the babies involved and I'm going to fight for any future grieving families that they will never go through this.” 

 Their protest takes place outside CUMH at 11am on June 11.