The State must seize the land on which the new national maternity hospital (NMH) is to be built to ‘ensure provision’ of all women’s ‘health services’, including abortion, a new group has said.

The Campaign Against Church Ownership of Women’s Healthcare said it was a “disgrace” two Catholic institutions were “still in the driving seat” on the future of the new hospital.

The NMH is to be built on the St Vincent’s hospital campus in Donnybrook, Dublin, on land leased to the State by the religious Sisters of Charity.

Spokesperson, Marie O’Connor, said even this would mean a “grossly inadequate” arrangement.

“The State needs to own the land on which it plans to build this hospital. Women’s healthcare is at risk. To expect a hospital [on land] owned by the nuns’ company to provide a full range of healthcare, including contraception, sterilisation, abortion, IVF and so on, is unrealistic.

“Only public ownership of the company can guarantee the healthcare will be secular.”

Bríd Smith TD (People Before Profit) said every candidate in the forthcoming general election should sign a pledge demanding that the new national maternity hospital be publicly-owned, publicly-run and secular.