They were never asked for their consent – but symphysiotomy caused the Irish mothers subjected to it catastrophic long-term health problems. Symphysiotomy is a controversial operation that was seldom used in the rest of Europe after the mid-20th century, but was carried out on an estimated 1,500 Irish women, during childbirth, between the 1940s and 1980s. The procedure involves slicing through the cartilage and ligaments of a pelvic joint (or in extreme cases, called pubiotomy, sawing through the bone of the pelvis itself) to widen it and allow a baby to be delivered unobstructed.  In July, the UN Human Rights Committee called for the Irish government to hold an investigation into the issue. Mark Kelly of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties says. ‘This remains just one of the most appalling things that we have come across’.