Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old citizen of India,
originally from Belgaum, in the Indian State of Karnataka, and who was working
in Ireland as a dentist, died at University Hospital Galway. Her husband,
Praveen Halappanavar, an engineer at Boston Scientific.
Once the events became public, the news of
Halappanavar's death spread rapidly and quickly through both traditional and
social media outlets. Led to nationwide protests—which spilled over into India,
England and many other countries, Halappanavar,
a Hindu of Indian origin, was suffering from a miscarriage when she was some 17
weeks pregnant, and she sought medical attention and treatment at University
Hospital Galway. Her husband, Praveen Halappanavar said he has "no
doubt" that she would still be alive if she had had an abortion. He is
quoted as saying, "They said unfortunately she can't because it's a
Catholic country," and that according to law, they can't abort when the
foetus is alive. He states that the doctors declared that the foetus was
non-viable, but could not be removed because a heartbeat was still present. The
foetal remains were removed several days later on 24 October. Savita Halappanavar suffered specticemie and organ failure and died a few days later on 28 October 2012.
Under Irish law, according to the Offences against the Person Act 1861, as amended, an unlawful act of abortion is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment, where "a pregnant woman's life was at risk because of pregnancy, including the risk of suicide". The staffs of University Hospital have stated that there is no "Catholic ethos" that is impacting treatment provided.
Under Irish law, according to the Offences against the Person Act 1861, as amended, an unlawful act of abortion is a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment, where "a pregnant woman's life was at risk because of pregnancy, including the risk of suicide". The staffs of University Hospital have stated that there is no "Catholic ethos" that is impacting treatment provided.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar, an independent member of the Rajya
Sabha (the upper house of the Parliament of India) said, "The death of
Savita Halappanavar should be pursued by family and Govt. of India as a case of
human rights violation and murder. Instead of simply protesting, cases should
be filed against the Govt. of Ireland and its leadership at the International
Court of justice and United Nations Commission for Human Rights UNHCR.
In response to critics accusing pro-choice activits of
exploiting Halappanavar's death, Kate Smurthwaite responded in a column in the
Huffington Post called "Yes, Savita Halappanavar's Death IS a Political
Issue"