March set to be held in Greystones over cervical test scandal

A MARCH over the cervical smear test scandal will take place in Greystones this Sunday, May 20.

Following a meeting convened by local women, a protest march will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m.

The group will meet at the south beach car park and walk to the harbour.

Orla Leonard, a member of the organising group, said people are very angry about the scandal and the march is an opportunity for them to come together in protest.

‘I found I was getting more and more angry about the cervical cancer cover-up after listening to the women affected; in fact, furious would be more appropriate,’ she said.

‘We are calling on everyone in the area who feels similar outrage to join us on Sunday in protest.’

The cancer scandal broke when it emerged that results of cervical smear testing outsourced to private laboratories outside had been misinterpreted. A subsequent audit by Cervical- Check Ireland showed that of 1,482 women diagnosed with cancer since 2008, earlier test results in 209 of the cases had recorded no abnormalities when they should have recorded a cancer warning. The majority of the women were never informed of the outcome of the audit, and of the 209 women affected, 18 have since died.

People Before Profit local representative, Pyper Ludlow, said, ‘We need to show our solidarity, our sadness and our anger and we need to send a very clear message to the state that we, the people, have reached the absolute limits of our tolerance. This affects everyone, not just women, but their children, their husbands and partners, their wider families and all of our communities.’