The words of Savita Halappanavar, who died last month in Ireland. According to the Irish Times, after being told that she was miscarrying, she requested multiple times over the course of three days that her pregnancy be terminated. Her requests were denied. She was told, “This is a Catholic country.” She miscarried. A week later, she died of septicaemia.
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[...] ‘I am neither Irish nor Catholic’ (feministphilosophers.wordpress.com) [...]
Unbelievable. But, I’m from Ireland and I know it all too well. This doesn’t surprise me at all.
Even in Ireland abortion is allowed if there is a real risk to the life of the mother. It obviously was because she is dead. So public prosecution should file a suit for manslaughter against the doctor and the hospital. This has nothing to do with religion or country but the arrogance of the medical profession.
My heart aches.
This should be taken as an object lesson for those in the USA who agree to exceptions for the ‘life’ of the woman but object to including ‘health’ of the woman. Until one has a crystal ball, one does not know that a health problem is guaranteed to be unthreatening to life.
I think Anne’s comment speaks for al our hearts.
Kathryrn’s comment points to a terrible defect in the already terrible Irish ‘law’: that physicians are left to determine what might be life threatening to any patient, knowing that the sword of Damacles hangs over their heads if anyone thinks they miscalculated.
i read this in the Irishtimes as well. just imagining, dying of septicaemia … the un-imaginable agony. i am beyond words.
maybe some background info – here :
- “So the X Case ruling established that a woman in Ireland is legally entitled to an abortion when it’s necessary to save her life. But Ireland failed to implement the court ruling into actual legislation, which means doctors are reluctant to make the medically and ethically correct decision in the case of an emergency for fear of breaking the 1983 anti-abortion law.”
http://downlo.tumblr.com/post/35737058666/savita-halappanavar-and-the-long-shadow-of-the-x-case
- Savita Halappanavar and the Long Shadow of the X-Case :
http://crookedtimber.org/2012/11/14/savita-halappanavar-and-the-long-shadow-of-the-x-case/
- and “oh-look” : “Members of the US Congress have written to Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny demanding that he halt any bid to legalize abortion in Ireland” … :
http://www.irishcentral.com/news/US-politicians-demand-Ireland-outlaw-abortion-in-open-letter-to-Enda-Kenny-170955251.html
“i am neither irish nor catholic”: what do *I* learn from this, on a meta-level ?! everyone/anyone travelling to Ireland ./. living/working there *while pregnant* : Please beware !
Some Irish commentary that might be of interest:
When is an abortion not an abortion? (Fintan O’Toole, Irish Times) http://tinyurl.com/brmlfpk
Savita Halappanavar: Ireland, Abortion and the Politics of Death and Grief (Máiréad Enright, CriticalLegalThing.com) http://tinyurl.com/adshkg5
This (longish) piece is an Irish philosopher’s take on Savita’s case and the responses to it (full disclosure, I wrote it): http://t.co/BYGluw5m.
I find it hard to believe pw24′s comment that this has had nothing to do with country or religion; it quite obviously had everything to do with Catholicism and its grip on Irish politics. Having just returned from Dublin, that was the (obviously correct) interpretation of everyone. And they are fed up.
Brian, I agree.