The parents of Harvey Sherratt Morrison have asked that those attending the Saturday march for their son and other children left waiting for access to essential healthcare respect their request not to bring flags or political banners.
Gillian Sherratt said that she and Harvey’s father Stephen Morrison wanted to “say thank you for the massive amount of support we have been shown since Harvey’s passing. To say it has been an overwhelming time would be a massive understatement.”
She said the march on Saturday “is a march for #JusticeForHarvey and all the other kids currently waiting excessively for access to healthcare. This is to be a peaceful march, as anything less than that would not only discredit our cause, but it would tarnish our beautiful boy’s name. We kindly ask that if you cannot respect that, please do not attend.”
Ms Sherratt said that the march was “not an anti-government protest, it is not a Pro-Palestine protest, a Pro-Ukraine protest, a housing protest etc”. Rather, she added, “our message needs to be clear and this is why we are holding firm on the no flags/political banners. We cannot dilute our message.
She said that the Justice for Harvey march was taking place to call out systemic failures within Children’s Health Ireland and to call for change within paediatric healthcare.
Referringh to the #ResignHarris trend, Ms Sherratt said that they held Minister Simon Harris accountable for the four month promise, the promise to meet and failing to do so, and for “choosing to ignore the calls from the advocacy groups”.
She added that they did not hold Tánaiste Harris “directly accountable for Harvey’s death”, and said “and anyone doing so is doing it against our own wishes.”
“Our issue with him is purely political and not personal. For anyone commenting on his posts or government posts and calling for #JusticeForHarvey we ask that if you are using Harvey’s name that you do so in a respectful way please,” she said.
The protest is due to start at 2pm on August 23, and will run from the Garden of Remembrance to Customs House Quay. A GoFundMe has been set up to cover the costs of the march.
Harvey’s parents have called for the resignation of Tanaiste Simon Harris because in 2017, when he was serving as Health Minister, he pledged that “no child” would wait longer than four months for scoliosis surgery.
However, Harvey waited seven years for his spinal surgery, including 33 months on and off an active waiting list, despite the revelation by his parents that the little boy’s ribcage was so twisted by scoliosis that pressure was being put on his heart and lungs.
In August 2024, Harvey’s mother discovered that despite their public campaign her little boy whose condition was steadily deteriorating, was no longer on CHI’s active surgery waiting list.
By the time Harvey eventually had spinal surgery in December 2024, his parents say his spinal curve was so extended it could not be fully corrected.