Opposition TDs have rejected a hospital's explanation as to why they sent the organs of dead babies for incineration abroad.
An investigation is under way at Cork University Maternity Hospital after the organs of 18 babies were sent to Belgium along with clinical waste for incineration without the consent or knowledge of bereaved parents.
The hospital told parents the incinerations happened across two days in late March and early April last year.
A statement issued to RTÉ Investigates on behalf of CUH apologised "that this distressing incident has occurred … under very extenuating and unprecedented circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic."
Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall said she does not accept the circumstances around Covid “or any excuse for that.”
Speaking to reporters at Leinster House, she said: “It’s a hugely disrespectful way of treating human remains.
“It’s a matter of huge concern and I understand an investigation has been promised and it’s important that it gets underway as quickly as possible.
“I don’t accept the circumstances around Covid or any excuse for that.”
Labour health spokesman Duncan Smith said the RTÉ report is “very disturbing” and “hugely concerning.”
He also said the “excuses that are being given by the hospital that this is Covid related frankly do not stand.”
He said: “There is a report going back as far as 2009 that says that practice of incineration has to end, this is 2021.
“The excuses that are being given by the hospital that this is Covid related frankly does not stand.
“I can understand why people can’t get a builder in to do work because of Covid or we can’t get supplies in, this does not hold water that such a decision was made by a hospital in terms of how they disposed of organs of dead babies.”
Sinn Fein’s health spokesman David Cullinane said the news is “really shocking.”
He said questions also need to be answered on when exactly Health Minister Stephen Donnelly was informed about the matter.
He said: “The fact it has taken so long for an investigation to be put in place is also shocking.
“There are questions as to when the Minister was informed ... I would hope that when this first surfaced that the Minister for Health was informed of the issue so he then could have taken action.
“There are obvious questions that need to be answered by the Minister but also by the hospital.”
According to RTÉ, in mid-May 2020, hospital management sent an incident report on the incinerations to the Department of Health.
But management did not rate the incident as serious but did express concern about the adverse publicity for the hospital if it came to public attention, according to an email sent by senior pathology staff in Cork.
According to an RTÉ report, documentation seen by RTÉ Investigates shows the staff in Cork were concerned with the assessment, prompting them to write directly to the HSE.
In a statement, the South/South West Hospital Group said it "totally refutes any suggestion that it would be more concerned about the risk of adverse publicity."
