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- On 9th. February 2000, seven weeks after
this issue was raised by Parents for Justice,
the Minister for Health, Mr. Micheal Martin,
announced during a meeting with Parents for
Justice, the establishment of an Inquiry into
organ retention and post mortem practices in
Ireland since 1970
- The Minister also agreed to fund Parents
for Justice.
- The Minister also agreed with Parents for
Justice to fund any reburial of organs for individual
families and to provide caskets in which to
place the organs.
- The Minister agreed to the provision of funded
independent counselling services for members
affected by post mortem practices. Indeed this
service, which is provided through The Clanwilliam
Institute, Dublin, has been in place for quite
some time now. Many families have availed of
this service and have found it to be of great
help. As stated this service if free of charge
and can be arranged through local health boards
or through Parents for Justice directly at 01
- 6759747. Parents for Justice Ltd also have in place our own Counselling and Support Service for members of the organisation. This service can be accessed either through the office 01- 6759747 or by making direct contact with the National Co-ordinator of Counselling, Ms Anne Kirwin Finn on 087-9885251
- The Parents for Justice Ltd Helpline has now been discontinued. You may contact the office on 01-6759747 during office hours. After office hours, at weekends and during all holiday periods (52 weeks per year) the office phone is diverted to either Charlotte Yeates, Administrator or to Brenda Bulter, Secretary who will be available to take your call. Any messages left on the answer machine will be returned as soon as possible.
- Parents for Justice have been assured that
the practice of unauthorized removal and retention
of organs during post mortem has now ceased.
At the insistence of our group and after many
lengthy meetings with officials from both The
Department of Health and The Eastern Regional
Health Authority, booklets and leaflets have
been introduced into all the hospitals which
explain to families the procedure of post mortem
(either hospital or coroners post mortems) There
will also be a designated person to make sure
that the next of kin understands fully what
will happen during a post mortem. The family
will also be told that organs may be retained
for examination and will be offered the choice
of delaying the funeral until after the examination
is complete. Families will also be given the
choice to decide if they want to allow organs
to be retained for teaching/research purposes
(hospital post mortem).
The family will also be given this choice in
relation to a coroners post mortem. Permission
is not required for a coroners post mortem.
In short, Families will be in a position to
give FULL INFORMED CONSENT to a post mortem.
This being the case, families will never again
find themselves in the situation that families
have been in recently, where they learned about
organ retention and removal of organs in some
cases many many years after the death of their
loved one.
- Parents for Justice have also made detailed
submissions to both The Eastern Regional Health
Board and The Coroners Review Board for their
new Protocols which will be implemented in hospitals
and health care facilities around Ireland. Also
in concerns voiced by this group, The Faculty
of Pathology issued interim guidelines in March
2000.
- Parents for Justice have liased with many
hospitals around the country and this has enabled
the hospital/health boards to gain a broader
view of what parents and next of kin need when
trying to cope with the death and post mortem
of a child or loved one.
- Parents for Justice have endeavored to be
of assistance to any parent or next of kin who
contacts us and to keep all our members up to
date on all
aspects of The Post Mortem Inquiry. We will
continue to work in this regard on behalf of
all our beloved children/loved one.
- The Minister for Health has announced the
imminent introduction of Human Tissue Legislation
(there is no legislation covering organ removal
/retention in Ireland at the moment) He has
promised that Parents for Justice will have
a place on this committee.
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| Plans For
Parents For Justice For The Next 12 Months |
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- The plans for our group is to continue to
work on behalf of families who have been in
the unfortunate situation of finding out that
the organs of their loved ones have been removed
and retained during post mortem without the
knowledge or consent of the next of kin.
- To continue to operate our much valued help-line.
- To ensure that The Human Tissue Act as promised
by The Minister of Health, Mr. Micheal Martin
T.D. is put in place and that Parents for Justice
will accept the place on the committee as offered
by the Minister.
- To continue to liaise with hospitals and
health boards and to help in any way deemed
necessary for the good of families who might
find themselves having to cope with the prospect
of a post mortem being carried out on their
loved ones.
- To continue to work with The Eastern Regional
Health Authority and The Coroners Review Board
as we have done in the past.
- To be a support for the many thousands of
family members who contact us regular basis.
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Parents for Justice Limited
Kantoher Business Park, Kantoher, Ballagh, Co. Limerick.
Breda Butler Cork 086 103 7490 - Charlotte Yeates Dublin 087 624 7327
Email: info@parentsforjustice.com
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