Celeb goss 27th April 2017 by Grace McGettigan

Pippa O’Connor And Amy Huberman Tweet Their Support For Dr Peter Boylan Amid Maternity Hospital Controversy

They're against the new National Maternity Hospital being under the control of the Catholic Church.

Doctor Peter Boylan, former master of the National Maternity Hospital, has resigned from its board with immediate effect because of the controversy surrounding the hospital’s ownership.

He said, “I can’t remain a member of a board that is so blind to the consequences of its decision to transfer sole ownership of the hospital to the Sisters of Charity, and so deaf to the concerns of the public which it serves.”

The new National Maternity Hospital is proposed to be built on land owned by the Catholic Church, and more specifically, by the Sisters of Charity.

In his statement, Dr. Boylan says, “To believe that the new National Maternity Hospital will be the only hospital in the world owned by a Catholic congregation to permit sterilisation, IVF, abortion, gender reassignment surgery, and any other procedures prohibited by the Church is naive and delusional.”

He continues, “The board structure is fatally flawed.” He explains that four of the nine-member board are chosen by the Sisters of Charity themselves, and “will have fundamental ethical objections to a significant element of the work undertaken in the hospital.”

Dr. Boylan believes that the board’s eagerness to build a new hospital has blinded them to the effects that a Catholic-led hospital will have on the care of women in the future.

Mum-of-two, Amy Huberman, took to Twitter to show her support of his decision, saying, “So much respect for the integrity of @drboylan.”

Pippa O’Connor, who also has two young children, soon added, “Amazing man.”

We can only hope that more people will protest against the ownership of the new hospital, as the health and wellbeing of Irish women depends on it.