Hundreds of people have attended a protest in Dublin over the ownership of the new National Maternity Hospital.
Plans to move it from Holles Street to St. Vincent's Hospital, a site owned by a religious order, has raised concerns about church influence on medical practices like abortion and IVF.
The government's indicated it's open to purchasing the land, however St. Vincent's Hospital Group has rejected that option.
The Campaign Against Church Ownership of Women's Healthcare organised today's protest.
Chairperson, Jo Tully, says people are outraged at the situation:
"The announcement by the nuns three years ago, that they were standing back, and were going to gift the entire hospital group to the people of Ireland, managed to assuage the rage that was evident then."
"We now know that was in fact a lie."
"Now the refusal to sell the site means the future of women's reproductive healthcare remains in the hands of the church."
This woman says the church should not have anything to do with the new maternity hospital:
"I think the church have had far too much control and say over women's bodies over the years."
"With the history of Mother and Baby homes, the last thing a religious order should be near is a women's Maternity Hospital."
