National protests taking place over ownership of new National Maternity Hospital
Protests are taking place around the country today over the ownership of the new National Maternity Hospital at the St Vincent's site in Dublin.
Campaigners say ownership of the government-funded facility should not handed over to the Sisters of Charity.
The new facility is now in doubt, after the board of St Vincent's said it's now reviewing the project because of the 'controversy'.
The Health Minster says he's still committed to delivering the "long overdue" hospital.
People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith said people are outraged that a religious order responsible for the Magdalene Laundries could have a say in the running of a national maternity hospital: "There is thousands of people, throughout the country who will want their voices heard because we want very high standard quality maternity hospital to be built and we have no problem paying tax-payers money building it.
"But we don't want the church to have any influence at all in it, so the protest should go ahead on the bases to reiterate that as they say to separate church and state and do not give the Sisters of Charity any iota of control over the New Maternity Hospital."
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