Dr Moira Woods : (Dublin Sexual Abuse Zealot) Guilty of Professional Misconduct

[Brian]

Irish Independent
Saturday December 8 2001
GP ruled to have got it wrong over 'sex abuse' cases
Eilish O'Regan
Health Correspondent

Retired GP Dr Moira Woods has been found guilty of professional
misconduct arising out of complaints by a number of families whom she
wrongly accused of sexual abuse. Dr Woods, who is now in her 70s, had
appeared before the Fitness to Practise Committee of the Medical
Council, the regulatory body for doctors. She had a busy practice as
family doctor in Ballsbridge for many years and had a high public
profile for her liberal campaigning on issues such as contraception.

The Committee which has been hearing evidence over the past two years
is due to deliver its report on the case to a full meeting of the
Medical Council in January. The council has the power to decide on
what sanction, if any, should be taken against Dr Woods. Her lawyers
are entitled to make representations on her behalf to the body. The
council has a range of sanctions at its disposal including imposing
conditions attached to the doctor's practice or removal from the
medical registrar.

Five families complained Dr Woods wrongly accused them of sexually
abusing their children when she was director of the Sexual Assault
Treatment Unit in the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin during the 1980s.
Eleven children were involved in the case but Dr Woods has
consistently rejected the allegations. A number of children were taken
from their families and placed in care. In some cases court orders
resulted in the children being returned to their homes.

One of the fathers conducted a long-running campaign to have the
council investigate the allegations. The Inquiry began in 1999 and the
evidence was heard over 40 days. The council originally decided to
hold the Inquiry in public but after a number of preliminary hearings,
a court challenge was instigated by the Eastern Health Board relating
to the release of documentation which forced the proceedings to be
held in camera.

The Report of the Inquiry is believed to be lengthy, containing
witness statements from healthcare workers here and abroad. The
Inquiry, as part of its investigations, looked at the standards of the
time for evaluating risk of child abuse and it also examined the role
of social workers and the unit of the hospital.

Dr Woods was challenged to prove that she had sufficient facts at her
disposal to conclude that the children were abused.

In recent years new guidelines in the investigation of abuse have been
issued for health board workers and new laws have been passed which no
longer make it an offence to make allegations of abuse, provided it is
done in good faith.

The families, who come from a number of counties, cannot be named to
protect the identity of their children, many of whom are now adults.