North Wicklow Together Strike Back

New litter

pen letter to Minister Stephen Donnelly from Wicklow Together For Choice & Equality, issued on Friday, March 4th 2022…

Dear Minister Donnelly,

North Wicklow Together for Choice and Equality are shocked and dismayed at the repeated attacks by Minister Stephen Donnelly on those, including our local group that are against a new €800+ million National Maternity Hospital, paid for by the taxpayer, and gifted to the successor organisation of the Sisters of Charity.

In recent weeks, the Irish Examiner reported that Minister Donnelly called the campaign “misleading and malicious”.

On Twitter, Minister Donnelly, parroting vested interests, commented that the campaign is “manifestly false”, “ill-informed”, “misinformation” and “misleading”.

On Facebook, Minister Donnelly, stated explicitly that “I share the view of the doctors that the allegations being made, including by certain Dail TDs, are misleading, ill informed and manifestly false”.

We have no vested interest in the new National Maternity Hospital and do not stand to gain anything from its relocation to Elm Park or elsewhere.

Everything we do as a group is with the utmost integrity. To suggest otherwise is an extremely serious matter that we cannot allow to stand.

Working on a campaign is a personal sacrifice. We do not take that decision lightly. We do so because we know, through our own extensive research and consultation with experts, that the current deal will not benefit the women of Ireland or the taxpayer.

We must ask why the Minister is attacking campaigners instead of addressing the very real and well researched concerns of the collective opposition parties, many TDs and Senators in Government parties, activists, Dr. Peter Boylan, and his own Wicklow constituents?

The consequences of the Mulvey agreement will be endured by generations of women accessing the new National Maternity Hospital and paid for by the taxpayer. As such, it deserves a Minister who doesn’t stoop to play political games at the expense of the future service users of the new National Maternity Hospital.

We call on Minister Donnelly to immediately stop these shameful attacks and instead focus on our very real concerns which have been repeatedly communicated to you. Only full State ownership can guarantee a Public & Secular new National Maternity Hospital that will serve the women of Wicklow.

Best Regards,
North Wicklow Together for Choice and Equality

You can find out more about North Wicklow Together For Choice and Equality on Facebook here, or email [email protected].