We’re pleased to announce the launch of our first campaign: Better Access to Breast Health Care. With diagnostic services in hospitals being suspended and discussions of four month waiting lists for breast ultrasounds in the Oireachtas, it’s time to let our politicians know that we, as women voters, demand better access to breast health care, now.

Find out how you can act now to help improve access to basic breast care services for women across Ireland. It doesn’t take very long to sign our petition, download a letter or send a postcard, so you can make a difference less than 10 minutes!

We have until the 6th of March (the day our petition will be delivered to Mary Harney, Minister for Health) to get Ireland’s women voter mobilised. So take part and help us spread the word to reach more women. You can make a difference!

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On the 24th of October, Alison* reports to her GP’s surgery having discovered a lump in her breast, which is also leaking blood. She is referred to Portlaoise Hospital hospital for a breast ultrasound, only to discover they no longer do them. Referred on again, she is told the wait at Mullingar Hospital is four to six weeks.

On the 12th of December, after lobbying her local representatives for assistance with waiting times, Alison learns services have been withdrawn from Mullingar as well when she receives an email from her local TD, Charlie Flannagan (FG), stating:

I have been making enquiries about breast ultrasound in Midlands. It appears that there is now no service. I have personally written to Mary Harney expressing my concern and requesting urgent action.

Alison is referred on again, this time to Dublin. On the 18th of December, Deputy Charles Flannagan raises the issue in the Dail, asking Mary Harney:

…if her attention has been drawn to the fact that a person (details supplied) in County Laois, when referred from Portlaoise Hospital to Dublin for an urgent ultrasound, was told that they would have to wait up to four months before they could be seen.

On the 19th of December, following a radio interview, a blog storm, and pressure from a TD, an appointment magically appears.

On the 21st of December, Alison drives two hours to Dublin to see a consultant, who does a repeat manual exam and refers her for the same ultrasound she was referred for in October,  stating it will be several months until she can have an appointment.

*Alison’s name has been changed to protect her privacy. You can find out more about her here.

2007 marked a catastrophic year for women’s health care in Ireland:

• February 2007: A a consultant microbiologist at the Mater Hospital tells an inquest that MRSA is “endemic” in every hospital in Ireland.
• April 2007: A redress scheme is announced following the release of the Lourdes Inquirey Report into Michael Neary, who was found guilty of performing 129 un-needed hysterectomies on women at Drogheda between 1974 and 1998.
• November 2007: More than 100 women are ultimately recalled for screening when results of prior tests, some almost two years old, are found to have been improperly reviewed. Nine women previously given the all-clear are subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer.
• December 2007: News headline claims that the Breastcheck national screening program for women 50 - 64 has completed nationwide rollout comes as a surprise to women in Donegal, who have no access to this service and are still waiting for screening appointments.
• December 2007: The HSE’s costs to settle legal cases this year reaches €80 million including payments made in relation to the Lourdes Redress Board.
  

And just to start the year off on the right foot: January 1st 2008 saw the release of a report revealing some patients have been waiting for eight years to see a consultant in a hospital outpatient clinic.

Two Tits and a Vote is an opportunity for women to leverage their political power, lobby for change across critical issues in Ireland, and make sure our voices are heard.

Women remain severely under-represented in Irish politics, with only 12% of TDs in the Dial. On the plus side, the queue for the women’s loo at the Oireachtas must be very short indeed. On the minus side, women’s issues are not getting the attention or the funding required to serve the needs of 50.3% of the Irish population.

Two Tits and a Vote is intended to make it easy for women to take action and instigate change using the power we do have: our influence as voters, and our strength in numbers. By organising women around specific issues and providing a template for achievable action, we can make an impact with politicians.

Please see our sidebar to find out how you can take part in our current campaign, and sign up for our Action Alerts email if you’d like to be informed of future campaigns.