Independent TD Mattie McGrath has accused the HSE of deliberately minimising the gravity of illegal and dangerous advice offered to women in state funded crisis pregnancy clinics. Deputy McGrath made his comments after it was confirmed that the Irish Family Planning Association who dispensed the advice to undercover investigators will not be prosecuted following an ‘audit’ of the services by the HSE:
“What we have here very much resembles HSE collusion with dangerous and life threatening advice been given to young women.
It’s attitude stands in stark contrast to recent public statements about the value of this kind of undercover investigative method to highlight systemic failures.
How can the Government and the HSE stand over what is essentially the regulatory equivalent of a tap on the wrist to state funded clinics that actively threatened women’s lives?
There has been a consistently dismissive attitude to this scandal since the investigation was downgraded to an ‘audit’ almost two years ago.
In terms of where we go from here, the options are depressingly limited given the kind of de facto sanction that these practices have received.
I say that because it is not remotely clear to me whether the HSE will take any future breaches of best practice any more seriously than they have taken those instances exposed by the undercover team in this case,” concluded Deputy McGrath.