Sheila Hodgers (1956/57 – 19 March 1983) was an Irish woman from

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...

, who died of multiple

cancers Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Poss ...

two days after giving birth to her third child.O'Reilly, Emily (1992). Masterminds of the Right. Attic Press. . She was denied treatments for her cancer while pregnant because the Catholic ethos of the hospital did not wish to harm the foetus. Her case was publicised in an article in ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' the week before a September 1983 referendum which enshrined the right to life of the foetus in the

Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland ( ga, Bunreacht na hÉireann, ) is the constitution, fundamental law of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. The constitution, based on a system of representative democra ...

. The case has been recounted in subsequent pro-choice commentary on

abortion in the Republic of Ireland Abortion in Ireland is regulated by the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018. Abortion is permitted in Ireland during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, and later in cases where the pregnant woman's life or health is at ris ...

.Holden, Wendy (1994). Unlawful carnal knowledge: the true story of the Irish 'X' case. HarperCollins. Maddox, Brenda (1991). The Pope and contraception: the diabolical doctrine (Issue 18 of Chatto CounterBlasts). Chatto & Windus. Conrad, Kathryn A. (2004). Locked in the Family Cell: Gender, Sexuality, and Political Agency in Irish National Discourse). Univ of Wisconsin Press. In August 1981, Hodgers detected a

breast lump A breast mass, also known as a breast lump, is a localized swelling that feel different from the surrounding tissue. Breast pain, nipple discharge, or skin changes may be present. Concerning findings include masses that are hard, do not move e ...

and was referred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, then run by the Medical Missionaries of Mary, a Catholic order of nuns.Yeates, Padraig (2 September 1983)
"Sheila Hodgers - a case in question"The Irish Times
(Dublin). Some time after a

lumpectomy Lumpectomy (sometimes known as a tylectomy, partial mastectomy, breast segmental resection or breast wide local excision) is a surgical removal of a discrete portion or "lump" of breast tissue, usually in the treatment of a malignant tumor or brea ...

there, her husband Brendan was told by the surgeon that a second

tumour A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

had been found which would be fatal if a

mastectomy Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. A mastectomy is usually carried out to treat breast cancer. In some cases, women believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operat ...

wasn't performed. Even with the operation, there was a strong chance of secondary tumours appearing. The operation was carried out and considered a success. Hodgers was prescribed a course of anti-cancer drugs and advised not to use the

contraceptive pill Oral contraceptives, abbreviated OCPs, also known as birth control pills, are medications taken by mouth for the purpose of birth control. Female Two types of female oral contraceptive pill, taken once per day, are widely available: * The combin ...

as this could cause her cancer to return. According to journalist Padraig Yeates, Brendan Hodgers claimed a consultant told him that "as Sheila had a clean bill of health, (pregnancy) shouldn't be a problem". The consultant himself denied this. According to Yeates, every medical expert he spoke to said that following a mastectomy, it was standard advice to tell a woman to wait at least two years before becoming pregnant. One year after the operation, Sheila Hodgers became pregnant. Since the anti-cancer drugs she was taking could harm the foetus, she was stopped from taking them. Hodgers began experiencing severe back pains and could hardly stand. Her husband urged the hospital to induce her pregnancy or perform a

Caesarian section Caesarean section, also known as C-section or caesarean delivery, is the surgical procedure by which one or more babies are delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen, often performed because vaginal delivery would put the baby or mo ...

but they refused as it would damage the foetus. They also refused painkillers. The hospital had to abide by an alleged "Bishop's Contract", a code of ethics drawn up with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. During her time at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Hodgers was attended to by at least seven doctors.Coliver, Sandra (1995). The Right to Know: Human Rights and Access to Reproductive Health Information. University of Pennsylvania Press. . Her husband said the only doctor there he trusted was Michael Neary. According to Brendan Hodgers: "I went to see Sheila one night and she was in absolute agony. She was literally screaming at this stage. I could hear her from the front door of the hospital and she was in a ward on the fourth floor. I saw the sister and she produced a doctor who said nothing that made any sense." Sheila Hodgers was subsequently moved to the maternity unit and given painkillers. According to Brendan, he at this point asked if an

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

could be performed but was given no answer. The couple again asked if an induction or Caesarian could be performed, and were again told the baby would not survive. On 17 March 1983, Hodgers gave

premature birth Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth of a baby at fewer than 37 weeks gestational age, as opposed to full-term delivery at approximately 40 weeks. Extreme preterm is less than 28 weeks, very early preterm birth is between 2 ...

in extreme agony to a baby girl, Gemma, who immediately died. Hodgers died two days later from cancer in her neck, spine, legs, liver and ribs.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodgers, Sheila 1983 deaths 1983 in Ireland Deaths from cancer Abortion in the Republic of Ireland 1950s births People from Dundalk Social problems in medicine Deaths in childbirth