Protest over organ retention

The protest took place at the Simpson Maternity Pavilion

A group of parents who are demanding better access to the medical records of their dead babies have demonstrated outside an Edinburgh hospital.

They gathered outside the Simpson Maternity Pavilion to highlight continuing concern about the recent organ retention scandal.

A report last year found that almost 11,000 human organs had been removed and stored by Scottish hospitals.

The Edinburgh protesters gave their backing to Lydia Reid whose son Gary died a week after he was born in 1975.

His body was examined by medical staff after his death and some of his organs were removed without her permission.

Despite a long campaign, Ms Reid said she has still not been told the full story of how he died and how his body was then treated.

Ms Reid said parents should be the first to know such details but a spokeswoman for the hospital said it disclosed all the information which the law requires.

The Scottish Executive insists that new measures are in place to allow parents better access to the records of their dead children.