Mother sues over baby's organs
11 Mar 05
Woman sues children's hospital over removal of dead baby's brain
A grieving mother is suing the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Yorkhill for £100,000 after discovering her daughter's brain was removed before burial.
June Stevens claims she suffered psychiatric harm after she found out that baby Nicola's brain had been stored at a Glasgow hospital following a post-mortem examination. Nicola, born with a congenital abnormality of the diaphragm and a hole in the heart in June 1995, died aged 32 days despite surgery.
Ms Stevens, who was told of the organ retention after the media coverage in 1999 and 2000, said she felt "shocked and distressed" at the discovery and claimed she developed severe depression.
Ms Stevens agreed to the post-mortem but said that she was not aware that the investigation would involve the removal or retention of organs.
Yorkhill NHS Trust is contesting liability in the action, which is thought to be the first case of its kind in Scotland. Yesterday it asked Temporary Judge Colin Macaulay QC to dismiss the case in law. Judgment was reserved.