East Cork Mothers Subjected to Vaccine Trials in Mother and Baby Homes, Mclellan Tells Dail

The Corkman
January 31, 2015

http://www.independent.ie/regionals/corkman/news/east-cork-mothers-subjected-to-vaccine-trials-in-mother-and-baby-homes-mclellan-tells-dail-30945458.html

TimRyan, Oireachtas Correspondent SINN Fein Deputy Sandra McLellan told the Dail she had met several individuals in her East Cork constituency who were subjected to vaccine trials while in mother and baby homes. The main concern for these individuals is the lack of information around the drugs prescribed. In some cases there have been residual effects. Understandably, this causes huge ongoing distress. Speaking during a debate on the setting up of the Commission of Investigation into the homes, she said the Minister, James Reilly, has told the Dail that the Commission of Investigation will have the power to compel the drug companies which conducted vaccine trials on children resident in the homes to come before it. This was to be welcomed. "The Commission will examine whether regulatory and ethical standards were followed in relation to vaccine trials conducted on children," she said. "At least ten mother and baby homes were involved and it is believed the trials took place between 1960 and 1976. Fresh reports suggest that at least 3,000 children in 24 residential institutions and as many as 40,000 children among the general child population were administered experimental vaccines. "As an investigation into vaccine trials was previously stopped following a Supreme Court ruling, it is very important that those vulnerable children who were subjected to testing without consent are given justice. Many of these children did not realise that they had even been involved in the trials until 30 years later." The vaccine trials were conducted by Burroughs Wellcome, which is now GlaxoSmithKline, she said. Children were subjected to trials of the four-in-one vaccine. No detailed records of the trials were recorded, nor was there any detail on whether informed consent was given. "We must find out exactly what happened, who sanctioned these decisions and why these children were held in such low regard by those who should have protected them," she said. "Redress is warranted. In this context, victims of the mother and baby homes need a positive right to representation before the commission and legal costs should not be a barrier to this. They should also be supported by an independent advocacy service, which we suggest could be managed through the network of free legal advice centres." Stanton highlights flaws in electoral system IN the constituency of Cork East, Deputy Tom Barry focuses on the northern half of Cork East and Deputy David Stanton focus on the southern half of it, Deputy Stanton told the Dail. While they do some work together across the constituency, that is how it works de facto, he said. Speaking during a debate on the Fourth Report of the Convention on the Constitution, he said in a situation where there is only one Deputy from a particular party in a constituency he or she has to cover the whole constituency in order to serve the constituents who voted for him or her. "It is very difficult to have to drive hundreds of miles to do that," he said. "I caution against larger constituencies with more seats." Another issue discussed is the listing in alphabetical order of names on the ballot paper and the design of the ballot paper, he said. "Theresa Reidy of UCC has done a lot of work on this issue, on which I commend her," he said. "I noticed a flaw in the ballot papers for the local elections in terms of the location on the left-hand side of the ballot paper of the logos of political parties. The Independents did not have any logos and as such the box to the left of their names was blank. This meant that people who chose to record their vote on the left-hand side of the ballot paper were unable to vote for the representatives of any party because the box to the left of their names contained a logo and, thus, they invariably continued to vote for the Independents." Deputy Stanton said people were supposed to record their votes in the boxes on the right-hand side of the ballot paper but some chose to do so on the left-hand side which meant they voted in many cases for the Independents. The advice from the returning officers was that it was a clear indication of voting preference. Many hundreds of people who recorded their votes on the left-hand side of the ballot paper were precluded from voting for party representatives because the boxes to the left of their names were filled with logos. According to some research, because names on the ballot paper are listed in alphabetical order those whose surname starts with the letter 'A' have an advantage, he said. It has also been said that those listed at the bottom of the ballot paper may also have a slight advantage. "It has been proposed that names be randomly mixed up to ensure people get an opportunity to be at the top or bottom of the list as the case may be," he said. Sherlock stresses importance of Stormont Agreement THE recent Stormont House Agreement was an absolute necessity, Minister of State Sean Sherlock told the Dail. Speaking during a debate on the Agreement, he said the months before the political talks began were characterised by political deadlock and a public increasingly disheartened by the inability of the political system to deliver reconciliation and economic renewal for Northern Ireland. "The talks embody the collective desire at Stormont and Westminster and in Leinster House to show that politics can deliver by addressing a range of contentious issues, including how best to deal with the legacy of the past and charting a way forward that will deliver for all the people of Northern Ireland," he said. "The Stormont House Agreement has created the conditions necessary to allow a fresh start in 2015 and beyond. It is the potential for a new beginning which Northern Ireland's leaders need to embrace fully." It must be repeated that, notwithstanding that commitment, the agenda for the most recent talks was essentially focused on outstanding commitments arising from the Good Friday and St. Andrew's Agreements, the foundational agreements of the peace process, he said. "To be clear, the Irish Government was not a party to the negotiations which dealt specifically with budgets and financial reform," he said. "That must be understood for the historical record of the House and the purposes of clarity in reply to some of the points raised by Members opposite."