Protests Against Exclusion Of Partners To Take Place At Maternity Hospitals Today.

Tuesday, 11 May 2021 09:32

Demonstrations will take place in Donegal, Dublin and Louth.

Protests will be held outside a number of maternity hospitals this morning over restrictions that exclude partners from attending scans.

The demonstrations will take place in Donegal, Dublin and Louth.

#AIMSI Protests: Lots of people in contact with us asking about this week’s protests. Please see our FB post with more info: https://t.co/97aphGbECC #WhoseNeedsAreBeingMet #EndMaternityRestrictions #StrongerTogether #MaternityMatters
— AIMS Ireland (@AIMSIreland) May 10, 2021

Eimear McKeown reports:

"For over a year now, hundreds of women have had to attend antenatal appointments alone and some have to go through labour without a birth partner present.

With society reopening, frustration is growing that there's no clear roadmap in place for the removal of restrictions in maternity care.

The HSE says the "conditions are right" to ease some restrictions stopping partners from attending scans, but it's at the discretion of the hospitals to decide when to do so.

Maternity advocacy group AIMS is staging protests today to highlight how restrictions are affecting maternity patients and their partners.

They'll be held at 11am at Letterkenny Hospital in Donegal, Holles Street and The Coombe in Dublin and Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda, Co Louth.

There'll be further demonstrations later this week in counties Cork, Killkenny, Westmeath, Laois, Limerick, Wexford and Sligo."

Current situation for maternity in #Drogheda. Fully acknowledge efforts to ease; but we need full access. This really highlights @AIMSIreland position about the need for uniformed approach in all 19 units. Until all units lift, we will not stop. #WhoseNeedsAreBeingMet pic.twitter.com/3t5lSxtMdg
— JNiCheallaigh (@jenemarie6) May 11, 2021

Founder of AIMS Jene Hinds, speaking on Tuesday afternoon from the protest at Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda, Co. Louth, says the hospital has already lifted some restrictions: