Medical Register
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-05
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Ruth Coppinger (PBP), Dublin West

Unfortunately, just because women are in certain positions it does not mean all of these questions are dealt with properly. I will not personalise it or mention names but we would not be here if UCD's leadership and school of medicine had handled the situation correctly in the first place. There is a problematic culture there and I ask the Minister to be open to that. As late as yesterday, the dean of the school of medicine sent an email to medical students telling them to be very careful because there was going to be a protest against gendered violence and providing an emergency number they could ring. How tone-deaf is that? The protest was against violence, against a rapist in their midst and against image-based sexual abuse. I saw that image. I had to look at it to verify all the facts. I saw the comments that went with it. They were utterly scary and sickening. People studying medicine potentially had a role in that. The rapist took so much from this person. The school of medicine and UCD should not take the rest. Let her complete her degree and please assist her in that.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-05