Claire Kavanagh said: "Doctors were supposed to deliver my baby safely. Instead they delivered me a lifetime of pain—and now the government's trying to deny me and hundreds of other women justice.
"When my labour got complicated, the doctor refused to do a C-section: instead he broke my pelvis while I was wide awake. I left hospital unable to walk, not knowing what had happened to me—as did some 1,500 women and girls across Ireland. Decades later I still can't walk, and I still have nightmares. But now there's a chance to end them.
"The UN's just ruled that this was torture—but the government's planning to offer us an insulting redress scheme, claiming our treatment was 'appropriate'. We urgently need your help to vanquish this outrageous lie. The government could finalise the scheme any day now but if we launch a massive wave of outrage we can shame Health Minister Leo Varadkar into offering us proper restitution."
She continued: "Our feet manacled in stirrups, our arms held down by midwives, many of us screamed and struggled to get free as we were operated upon, often in front of large audiences of young male medical students. Why did we have to undergo this barbaric procedure—known as "symphysiotomy"—banned in most of Europe 200 years ago but practiced in Ireland until the late 20th century? Because some senior Catholic doctors disliked Caesarean sections, the norm for difficult births, seeing it as 'tempting' women to use birth control.
"Worse still, these doctors trained medical staff from poorer countries in this 'cheap' operation that needed no electricity. A few doctors in these countries are now pushing symphysiotomy in the mistaken belief that it's safe. Forcing the Irish government to acknowledge the truth is vital to stop other women and girls suffering as we did.
"Since this crime against women in Ireland was first exposed 15 years ago, the state has denied, ducked and dived. With just 350 survivors still living, it's time to end the lies. The UN Human Rights Committee chairman said our stories 'kept him awake at night'—now let's shame Health Minister Leo Varadkar into running an independent inquiry and offering us proper compensation."
Claire said that those left who suffered the treatment were now in their 70s and 80s and urged all concerned to sign the petition, which will be delivered to Health Minister Leo Varadkar.