West Cork Physiotherapist Caroline Cumming started the petition two months ago
She says the current rules prohibiting fathers and partners from accompanying women to antenatal appointments and scans makes things more difficult for expectant mothers.
She's calling for the restrictions that were introduced at the start of the pandemic to be revised and eased allow partners to be present for labour and beyond one hour after the birth of the baby.
The petition was handed into Cork University Maternity Hospital this morning.
Speaking to RedFM News, Caroline Cumming says it's time for change:
"Absolutely nobody who signed this petition wants to increase the risk to the staff of maternity hospitals or the patients or the babies in there. We're nine months into the pandemic now, we've got a lot more knowledge and more resources, and there just absolutely must be a way that we can safely allow the partners to come in. At the end of the day, most of them are living in the same household as the woman giving birth. So from a risk perspective, it should be fairly equal. We're not asking for general visitors to be given free access to hospitals at all- it's really just the fathers of the new babies that we want to be there."
