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.