Last night the Irish Independent broke the news that a young woman in Galway (Ireland), Savita Halappanavar, died after doctors refused her an abortion despite the fact that she had already miscarried.
The paper reports that she “died in Galway University Hospital following a miscarriage after her family had requested an abortion when it became clear her baby could not survive… After she was found to be miscarrying, her husband asked for a medical termination to be carried out over three days but were refused because a foetal heartbeat was still present.” Savita died of blood poisoning.
2,000 people spontanteously demonstrated outside the Irish Parliament (Dail) and in London I attended a vigil with roughly 100 people outside the Irish embassy (pictured), both called less than 24 hours after this tragic death.
Savita was a popular and energetic member of her community, a dentist from India. It has been reported that doctors told the young immigrant that “this is a Catholic country” as she lay dying, requesting a termination of the miscarried pregnancy.
She told them “I am neither Irish nor Catholic” but still they refused – for three days.
The law apparently allows for a termination in these circumstances but still the doctor refused, quite possibly because of the prevailing culture. However, I can’t be the only one to detect an undercurrent of patronising racism to the doctor lecturing a medically trained migrant on what sort of country she was living in which is why she wasn’t going to get the life saving treatment her medical training would have put her in a very good position to know she needed.
This is so heartbreaking.
Over 4,000 women a year leave the Irish Republic for terminations, most coming to the UK despite the fact that the Supreme court, the European Court of Human Rights and it’s own expert panel’s report have all claimed the government’s wholesale ban on abortion is legally untenable (and clearly does not prevent abortions taking place, only makes them less safe, more arduous and most difficult for the poor).
Clare Daly TD, of the United Left Alliance, said “A woman has died because Galway University hospital refused to perform an abortion needed to prevent serious risk to her life. This is a situation we were told would never arise. An unviable foetus – the woman was having a miscarriage – was given priority over the woman’s life”.
The last time liberalising the abortion law came before the Dail Labour TD’s voted against the bill despite the party formally having a pro-choice position, so whether the Labour-Fine Gael coalition will take this moment to introduced some humanity into the law we shall have to see – but it is clear that many, many people in Ireland are horrified at what has happened and if Savita’s death is not a wake up call then, well, God help them.