A LIMERICK obstetric gynaecologist has caused anger with his remarks about husbands, insisting that their wives give birth in hospital rather than at home.
Dr Donal O'Sullivan made his comments on Raidio na Gaeltachta when he used the word, "ceannrach", interpreted as meaning a head tie or bridle, when saying a husband should use such means to ensure she went to hospital when in labour.
Ms Marie O'Regan, chairwoman of the Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services, took particular exception to his remarks, saying she was deeply shocked by what he said.
In his reference he suggests women should be relegated to the status of an unruly animal in need of control and mastering", she said and demanded he apologise and withdraw his remarks.
Home births were now as safe as hospital births and women in other EU countries were being encouraged to have their babies at home, said Ms O'Regan.
Dr O'Sullivan said he may have been taking liberty with the language and while the word ceannrach" did refer to a bridle for an animal, he believed a husband should act as head of the household if his wife intended to put her life and that of their baby at risk. "Home births in remote places at some distance from a hospital are not advisable in ease anything goes wrong. In such circumstances the husband should give very positive guidance to his wife, especially if she is insisting in doing things which are not suitable. I belong to days gone by when the man was in charge of the household."
He added he lived through an era when women died in childbirth, giving birth in remote areas without the kind of modern medical help available now. Children were the responsibility of both parents and both should ensure nothing was done to endanger the life of a baby.