A large crowd gathered today outside Dáil Éireann, calling for the new National Maternity Hospital to be fully secular.

The emotional demonstration was held amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the potential influence of a Catholic ethos within the planned new hospital.

The National Maternity Hospital (NMH) is currently located at Holles Street in Dublin’s city centre. While the 130-year-old building is considered no longer fit for purpose, there is a huge groundswell of concern over the failure of the State to take ownership of the land on which the hospital is being built.

The proposed new site, alongside St. Vincents Hospital, was owned by the Sisters of Charity. They have passed ownership over to a newly created company. However the State has not had sight of the documents which passed between either the nuns or the St. Vincent's Hospital Group and the Vatican – who had to approve the sale of the land by the nuns. Today’s protest demonstrated a deep-rooted anger Ireland’s history of letting women down – the fear being that this decision will give teh Catholic Church influence over the ethos of hte National Maternity Hospital, and enable it to influence clinical decisions made there.

Anne Conway, who organised the rally, said: “We are not going back to a Catholic State. We are going to fight for the hospital to be built on land owned by the State.”

Anger and distress filled the air as speakers told stories of the difficulties surrounding growing up in a country that had been brainwashed by religion.

“I was eighteen when contraception was legalised in this country, but only with a prescription and only for married people. And I was twenty-two when the eighth amendment was inserted into our constitution. And I was still twenty-two when Anne Lovett died in Granard at fifteen years of age. And I was twenty- three when Joanne Hayes was charged with murder for being a single woman who had a baby out of wedlock. I was twenty-nine when marital rape was criminalised in this country. And I was fifty-seven when the eighth amendment was repealed. So I know, all too well, the influence that the Catholic Church has had on our legal systems, our health systems, and our education systems in this country,” explained Bernie Linnane, chair of the “Our Maternity Hospital" Campaign.

Even with politicians, such as Simon Harris, insisting that “the nuns are gone” and that the new plans hold Irish women’s best interests at heart, the State will not own the land – which it has leased for 299 years.

Speakers at the rally spoke of being “patronised” by politicians.

“We’re angry as hell at politicians who came to power at the Repeal. Shame shame shame,” said Anne Conway during a powerful speech, at the beginning of the demonstration.

Paying tribute to women such as Savita Halappanavar, who died in 2012 of sepsis after her request for an abortion was denied on legal grounds, Irish women's fear of "history repeating itself" is more evident than ever.

“It is not just the National Maternity Hospital, it is our National Maternity Hospital,” demanded Bernie Linnane.

Ministers are expected to make a decision on Tuesday. All the indications are that they will decide to proceed with the plan. It is not clear how those opposed to allowing the Catholic Church any opening to wield influence over the National Maternity Hospital will carry on their campaign. But the anger evident today suggests that oppose it they will.
Check out our Instagram below for more photos taken at the rally.

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