Public Rally to defend women's health services in Dublin

dublin | gender and sexuality | news report

Sunday November 16, 2008 19:08

by Paula Geraghty

mspgeraghty at yahoo dot ie

The Feminist Open Forum called yesterday's Public Rally to defend women's health services and demand that the goverment immediately abandon its decision to cancel the cervical vaccination programme for young girls.

Elisa O'Donovan, one of the organisers

Over a hundred people gathered yesterday to demand the reversal of the government's decision not to provide the cervical cancer vaccination program to 12 year old girls.

From the Feminist Open Forum press release:

A member of the organising group, Elisa O'Donovan.commented: "We've organised this rally in order to get a reversal of the goverments damaging decision to suspend the cervical cancer vaccination programme.

"Most European countries have implemented the programme because they have the foresight to see that prevention is better, and cheaper, than cure. We have a chance to radically reduce the incidence of preventable death and ensure that a large proprtion of women can have a cancer-free life. Its a bit of a kick in the teeth for the government to say they haven't any money.

"Only a few weeks ago the government made available €400 billion to copper fasten the bonuses and salary's of the banking elite. Yet now the government have 'no money' to secure the lives of thousands of women in years to come. "

Another organiser, Sinead Kennedy, commented :' Between 70 and 80 women with cervical cancer die in Ireland each year and some 200 new cases are diagnosed. This vaccine has the potnetial to save many lives.

"These cuts have once again shown the real face of Fianna Fail and the Greens.It is estimated that the vaccination programme would cost between €10 and €14 million, yet the goverment are unwilling to spend this small sum to save lives.

"They are however willing to pay €1.2 million in bonuses to HSE executives who have overseen the systematic mis-management of our health service and give tax breaks worth over €10 million to developers of private for-profit hospitals."
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Further info on Pamela Izevbekhai
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2008/1114/1....html