Bríd Smith: Calls for public control of National Maternity Hospital
Bríd Smith spoke on 31 March 2022 about a national women’s health plan, arguing that women’s complex physiological and psychological needs require linked policy and public oversight. She criticised the plan’s funding and governance and insisted the new National Maternity Hospital must be controlled, run and overseen by a public authority.
Scope of women's health issues
The plan references contraception, period poverty, menopause, endometriosis, breastfeeding, gynaecological paediatric care, maternity, bereavement and fertility hubs among other concerns, which Smith said demonstrate the complexity of women's health needs.
Funding and departmental responsibility
Smith criticised the department for effectively funding its own strategy and highlighted that the ring-fenced 31 million fund is "slightly less than double what is dedicated to the horse and greyhound industry," suggesting this is not a notable achievement.
Opposition to the maternity hospital deal
She rejected portrayals that opposition to the deal around the National Maternity Hospital is hysterical or ill-informed, calling such descriptions patronising and misleading. Smith argued a state-funded facility for women's reproductive health should not be vested in a body ultimately controlled by a religious order post-repeal.
Trust in church and state assurances
Smith said it was "bizarre" to expect women to trust assurances from the church or the state on their health care given recent history, and reiterated that public funding must be matched by public control and oversight.
Public funding and control
The new National Maternity Hospital has been paid for the public and it must be controlled, run and overseen by public authority. The new National Maternity Hospital has been provided by the National Maternity Hospital.
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Thank you and glad to speak on this plan today. The first thing that jumps out at me is of course that the reason we're discussing this is because women by our very physiological nature, biological nature and psychological nature are complex creatures and our health needs a complex response. So when you look at this document you see the mention of contraception, period, poverty, menopause, endometriosis, breastfeeding, gynaecologically paediatric, gynaecologically maternity, bereavement, fertility hubs and you could go on and on because there are so many issues. So I don't think it's some kind of achievement for the department to be funding its own strategy. In fact I would make this criticism that what's ring-fenced at 31 million of a fund is slightly less than double what is dedicated to the horse and greyhound industry. So it's no big achievement. But I do need to say this before I go any further. Because of all these issues, because of the very fact that our health and our makeup and our physiology and our psychology is built around our ability to reproduce the next form of life, we do have to see all of that linked to the strategy around the National Maternity Hospital. And here I think it's been disgracefully portrayed that somehow opposition to the deal around the National Maternity Hospital is hysterical or ill-informed and I regard that as patronising and misleading. And I think just to repeat what's been said already many times in this House, a state funded and built facility for women's reproductive health to be vested in the hands of a body set up and ultimately controlled by religious order post-repeal in this day and age one could think you're having a laugh. But it's no laugh. It's a very, very serious issue. And we will not accept dismissal of our concerns around the National Maternity Hospital. It's bizarre that any minister would think, given our recent past, that women should trust any assurances from the church or the state on their health care. The new National Maternity Hospital has been paid for the public and it must be controlled, run and overseen by public authority. The new National Maternity Hospital has been provided by the National Maternity Hospital.
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