RIP Savita Halappanavar – Woman Dies in Ireland After Being Refused a Medically Necessary Abortion

Rebekka K. Steg ♦ November 14, 2012 ♦ 6 Comments

Savita Halappanavar, 31 years old, has died in Galway, Ireland, after doctors refused to perform an abortion on her.

Her husband, Praveen Halappanavar (34), an engineer at Boston Scientific in Galway, says she asked several times over a three-day period that the pregnancy be terminated. He says that, having been told she was miscarrying, and after one day in severe pain, Ms Halappanavar asked for a medical termination.

This was refused, he says, because the foetal heartbeat was still present and they were told, “this is a Catholic country”.

She spent a further 2½ days “in agony” until the foetal heartbeat stopped.

Irish Times

I don’t even have words to describe my anger, frustration and how upset I am about this. I’ve never been pleased with the legal stance on abortion in Ireland, which is why I attended the March for Choice in September, but this is the first time I’m really furious with this backward country I’ve chosen to live in.

It is absolutely infuriating to have doctors choose the life of a fetus which cannot even survive either way over the life of a woman. This isn’t pro-life. This is misogynistic and anti-women. This needs to change. We need legislation to ensure that women in Ireland have free choice concerning their body.

Honestly, the way it is right now, I wouldn’t even want to go through a wanted pregnancy in Ireland – I would be too scared of ending up in a similar situation.

There is a demo / candlelight vigil tonight in front of the Dail in Dublin, starting at 6pm. Please join if you can. For more info about other events, check out the roundup at Irish Times.

You can read more about this tragedy at:

Woman dies after being refused medically necessary abortion – Feministe

Woman Denied Termination dies in hospital – Irish Times

Scandal in Ireland as woman dies in Galway ‘after being denied abortion’ – The Guardian