AN 'EXTREMELY vulnerable' woman was being treated in hospital yesterday after she gave birth on a freezing Dublin street.
The unnamed woman went in to labour on the corner of Linenhall Street and North King Street at around 1am Monday, 27 January, in temperataures estimated to be around -1°.
The Irish Times reports that while the woman is of no fixed address, it is unclear whether she was sleeping rough as the Dublin Region Homeless Executive have said she is not a client of theirs.
She is, however, described as "extremely vulnerable", and, in a distressed state, carried her newborn child approximately 1km away after giving birth.
Gardaí are gathering evidence in relation to the circumstances which led the vulnerable Dublin woman to give birth on the street in freezing temperatures.
A witness told The Irish Times that when he first heard the woman screaming he assumed it was "horseplay", but as the screaming continued he looked out the window to see "a lady who was very distressed" and with "people running to her".
"There were four people who crossed the road to her, and a man in a car stopped too," the unnamed witness told the outlet.
"They were giving her scarves and clothes. There was a lot of material changing hands and people were pointing down on the street," he explained.
"I didn't fully understand what was going on, and then the woman walked away and the people who had helped her were putting their hands to their heads as if they were in panic. I could see someone on a phone."
Despite the distressed woman walking away with her newborn, one witnessed trailed her and told emergency services of her whereabouts in order for the mother and child to be taken to hospital via ambulance.
Both are now said to be doing well, however local Councillor Christy Burke told The Irish Independent that it was a "travesty" that the woman was forced to give birth on the side of the road.
"It's just unthinkable that we have come to this," Mr Burke said.
"Regardless of the circumstances, I'm sure this very distressing incident will prove that the Government needs to take drastic action into caring for those that need the most help."
