Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SOS) talk in Kilkenny

A talk on the work and history of the Survivors of Symphysiotomy (SOS) group  will be delivered by their Chair Marie O’Connor at the Watergate Theatre on Sunday October 16 from 12 -1pm. 

This talk is part of a larger exhibition programme, titled Resilience for Kilkenny Arts Office Emerging Curator Development Programme. Resilience is a statement. A statement of supporting women, supporting artists and supporting the community. 

Resilience will examine the complexity and strength of the human condition in the face of adversity – and how it prevails. Experiencing the multifarious layers of stamina and understanding, each work and engagement examines the different ways in which women have overcome obstacles and societal oppression. 

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SOS, or Survivors of Symphysiotomy, is an Irish membership group consisting of survivors of the symphysiotomy surgery and families of those who have undergone the procedure. The unfunded organisation campaigns for justice to those who have suffered from the surgical procedure which they needlessly endured. 

Once hygiene, clinical practices, and the improvement of the caesarean section technique improved in the 1900s, the symphysiotomy procedure was largely abandoned in the developed world, with Ireland being the most famous exception. It has been found that the Catholic Church insisted on the procedure to ensure childbearing without limitation during a time when artificial contraceptives were banned, and non-Catholic doctors recommended sterilisation after three caesarean sections. 

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Matilda and Bernadette Behan established survivors of Symphysiotomy in 2002. From 2008 to 2014, many appeals to the Irish Ministers of Health were made, as were reports into the consequences of symphysiotomy and malpractice.  Ultimately, SOS was forced to make a complaint to the United Nations Committee Against Torture due to Ireland’s failure to properly investigate the practice. Four months after the complaint, the Irish government was instructed to investigate the issue by the UN Committee on Human Rights. 

In 2016, the Irish government awarded payments amounting to €34 million to those aggrieved, but spokesperson Marie O’Connor claims that it’s yet another official whitewash report of the issue.

Admission free - no booking necessary.

See: https://watergatetheatre.ie/watergate_events/a-talk-by-survivors-of-symphysiotomy/