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THE TAOISEACH AND Minister for Health are coming under pressure to explain why women affected by the Cervical Check scandal are still ending up in court.
Fianna Fáil’s health spokesperson Stephen Donnelly said, “On 14 April, Minister Harris during a press conference promised that no woman affected by the scandal would have to go to court.
“The Taoiseach also made this promise while being interviewed on the Six One news and also during a debate on the matter in the Dáil.”
Meanwhile, Labour Health spokesperson Alan Kelly said the Taoiseach “needs to come out of hiding” and address why women affected by the Cervical Check scandal are still ending up in court.
It comes after terminally ill Ruth Morrissey brought her alleged misdiagnosis case to the High Court this week. In a statement Morrissey described mediation attempts last week as a ‘sham’.
Kelly said, “What happened to Ruth Morrissey this week was a disgrace heaped upon a national disgrace.
“The Taoiseach promised wholeheartedly in May that the state would take over the cases of all the women affected and take over the labs component of those cases if necessary in order to avoid these women having to enduring the spectre of having to appear in court and go through publicly their own private health details.
“This has not happened. Instead Ruth Morrissey had to face a defence team of 17 lawyers earlier this week. A disgrace.”
The Minister for Health says he doesn’t want to see any case end up in court and that mediation is offered in each case.
In relation to Morrissey’s case the State Claims Agency (SCA) said, “An attempt earlier this week to resolve this case through mediation was unsuccessful. The SCA seeks to resolve claims through mediation wherever possible.”
However in a statement Ruth and Paul Morrissey said they believe that the State “showed no interest whatsoever in resolving their case by mediation prior to the media focus on their ordeal in court this week”.
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When you see them side-by-side you can better understand the wisdom of Benedict stepping down. His successor is far fresher and more energetic looking.
Very true, how are these popes supposed to make huge decisions within the church in their latter years. Good decision by Benedict.
Benedict is so frail :(
I was thinking the same thing Siobhan :(
Funny how Jesus never lived in a palace
Historic. May this be the start of something new. God bless em in their work.
Lovely to see but poor Benedict looks so frail.. :(
I totally agree Deidre and hope he breathes a breath of fresh air over the Catholic church .
I would dearly love to see Women taking more of a role and priests allowed to marry.
I really wish him every success and God speed.
Mike. Agreed. Its been a great first ten days. He looks like a man with energy and purpose who lives the Gospel.
My greatest wish would be that the youth would return to the Church. Hopefully he can inspire them
I would dearly love to see people (myself included) getting back to the church we love and need.
I had been so disillousioned but please God we get back to what our faith is about,peace,understanding and tolerance and a love of our faith.
I was happy to hear the Pope talking about creating a bond with Muslims and other faiths.
I am quite excited about this and I hope he makes the difference.
Amazing bit of history right there
a real genuine meeting….
Helicopter to lunch, as you do.
A deuce of Popes no one ever said before.
The craic was 90 between the two of them!
Live and let live. Born and raised RC but have not practiced for many tears. Still, I see Francis as a man who may yet reinvigorate the church.
Lets not forget all the good being done by the church too. And by church I mean the ordinary people within it.
John. That comment has made my day. I am a practising RC and very happy.
I am sad that so many have stopped attending church. And we have a generation that associates Catholicism only with child abuse. I am delighted with Pope Francis so far. Onwards and upwards i hope.
@ John.
Same here but I would like to think I will see change in the church and people like ourselves coming back.
The church has a long way to go but lets hope & pray .
I agree Mike.
I am delighted that so many Catholics have turned away from the RCC By doing this they are showing solidarity with the countless multitudes who have suffered at the hands of clerics internationally . Less and less people are being fooled by the hypocrisy , more and more are becoming enlightened and free . Thanks to technology , science and communication . I feel proud to belong to a group of a billion non believers on the planet. We must at all costs protect our youth from indoctrinaion by helping them to think critically for themselves and question everything. Replace religous myth and endoctrination with science fact. Dispel the false concept that a belief in god is a prequisite to being a good person.
Marvel Popes Assemble.
Religion is a fake man made. Look into it you will be shocked. All religions have the same characteristics virgin mother, the son, all have 12 people around them and all involve resurrection etc, how is that even possible.
I’m truly shocked.
61 thumbs down expected really, studied history, go back to Egyptian times look at what they worshiped look at the similarities it has to the way religion was created, look at how religions are so similar and all stem from what the Egyptians worshiped. They worshiped the sun with its halo of rays( thorns ) around it, the 12 stages of the sun( all religion has 12 people around the son) and much more, too long to explain and many people don’t want to believe it. But that’s their right, this was just research I did and the conclusion I came to.
I wouldn’t bother adelle, some people are so brain washed they will believe any non sense.
Adelle. I don’t think it’s a surprise to anyone that religion is man made fiction. That probably explains half your red thumbs!
Adele
Quit while you’re behind!
Discovered this a few years ago as well, when my mum and I were chatting about the church I told her about, blew her mind completely.
For men of the poor they sure do like to fly by helicopter.
He says he would love to see a poor church for poor people, send him over the last fianna fail government, they will fix that for him pronto
Did Benedict borrow his jacket from Bianca Jackson?
They are breaking history,good to see them together
Didn’t realise Woody Allen was directing the next Star Wars movie with Benedict starring as Palpatine….
They look like boyfriends
we’re all going to heaven…weyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
History in the making amazing
Good call benedict.
They probably talked about how God made the speed of light 670 million MPH and how if that light left earth 100 years ago it would be around 20% across our own galaxy and that there are 400 billion galaxies and it was all made for humans who are in the creators likeness.
Oh yeah and how God doesn’t like gays.
I’m seeing double…4 popes!!!
Me Papa et u Papa
Im sure it was an exciting experience for both of them. Talking about communion and white hats, and other such epic topics.
It was far from a palace that Jesus was raised .
Francis seemed a bit in awe of Benedict as if he still considers him the boss.
The men in white
is Benedict wearing one of those padded pauls boutique jackets? long way from the Hugo boss he wore in his Nazi days …………. at least they have their support of a fascist regime in common ….. something to talk about i suppose
Castel Gandolfo! And where was Gandolf? He’d fit in lovely with the 2 boys. They may ask him to shave for the occasion, though!
guaranteed Brent Pope is feeling a little left out…
Does the old pope get to keep wearing his white hat even or should he wear a different one as I though white was just for the pope ? Anyone know ?
popes wear many hat’s, mostly what suits them at the moment
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