Rose Conway-Walsh demands urgent action on endometriosis care
Rose Conway-Walsh spoke in the House about the state of endometriosis services, criticising the minister's response and supporting a motion brought by Senator Maria McCormack and party president Mary Lou MacDonald. She recounted testimony from women in Mayo describing cancelled surgeries, debilitating pain, lack of support, and the need to travel abroad for treatment.
Minister's response criticised
Rose Conway-Walsh said the minister's response to the motion was "not good enough" and welcomed the motion being brought to the House by Senator Maria McCormack and Mary Lou MacDonald. She told colleagues the motion would not have been brought by the government and praised her party's campaign on endometriosis services.
Personal testimonies from Mayo
She read testimony from Sinead Conlon and her father Dermot, who travelled from Mayo to attend, and quoted Sinead describing years of being unheard, delayed referral to a specialist until age 23, ongoing pain after surgery, and the impact on her ability to work and care for her child. Conway-Walsh said Sinead told the House she had been "exported" because she must go abroad for care she cannot get at home.
Clinical and support failures described
Conway-Walsh relayed further examples, including a Mayo woman whose planned surgery was cancelled and was only offered a scan despite probable endometriosis, and another who reported the condition spreading to her bladder and kidney. She highlighted cases where women were redirected to mental health services and left without medical advice or income support.
Access and financial barriers
The speaker emphasised the financial toll on self-employed women and families who must fund treatment abroad, noting that without family support some patients would have no option for care. She called for help to be provided in Ireland so women are not ignored.
Parliamentary context and appeal
Conway-Walsh thanked those who brought the motion to the House and urged the minister to address the shortcomings she had outlined, ending her remarks by directly challenging the adequacy of the official response and thanking the Deputy Mayor.
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It is not good enough. If you heard the stories of all of those women here today, I am proud of my party colleague, particularly Senator Maria McCormack and my party president, Mary Lou MacDonald, for bringing this motion to the House because it would never be brought to the House by government. Since the beginning of the Sinn Féin campaign to achieve adequate endometriosis services, I have spoken to many people from Mayo who are suffering, suffering with this debilitating condition. Women tell me, you paint this picture, but women tell me they cannot live with this pain and they are sent to the Mental Health Services. So if the picture you are painting is correct, why are they sent to the Mental Health Services? I particularly want to welcome Sinead Conlon to the gallery and her dad, Dermot, all the way from Mayo this evening. And I want to tell you in Sinead's words, and I want you to look her in the face when you are giving your response to this. I was never listened to as a teenager, and it took until the age of 23 to be referred on to a specialist to advise me to have a child, and this would help the problem. After having surgery here in Ireland for endometriosis and taking the advice, I was still left in horrific pain every day. No help, no advice, and left completely hopeless. No income as a self-employed person. How am I supposed to live and provide for my child? The pain I experienced every day was all over my body, and it is unbearable. Daily tasks are now impossible, mentally and physically. It is so unbelievably difficult. This has been a long battle, and going abroad shouldn't be the answer. But it is something I have to do now. I am being exported. We should get help here in Ireland and not be ignored. Only for I have the support and help from my family financially, I wouldn't have the option to get help abroad to end this torture. Michelle also from Mayo, who wrote to me today saying, I was meant to be going for surgery to check endometriosis, but instead they just booked me in for a scan last week and cancelled the surgery. They admitted I probably do have it, but offered no other support. I have an autoimmune condition. This is causing health problems, and I am now more nervous than I have been. Also, it is spreading to my organs, especially to my bladder and my kidney, and as I have had problems before. This is what is happening to women. This is what is happening to the women in the gallery tonight. Minister, your response is not good enough. Thank you, Deputy Mayor.
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