With the recent referendum in the Irish Republic resulting in a YES vote to repeal a constitutional amendment that did not allow termination of pregnancy until the foetus retained a heartbeat, it is said that at least 10% of the vote was influenced by the Savita Halappanavar tragedy of 2012.
Savita, a 31 year old Indian dentist who while obtaining Irish credentials was 17 weeks pregnant, was admitted to hospital suspecting a miscarriage. The doctors refused to terminate on the grounds that the foetus retained a heartbeat even though the law allowed it in cases where the mother was in danger of her life. Several requests from Savita and her husband were denied and in one case she was told “this is a Catholic country.” When she took a turn for the worse, it was too late to save her life. Her husband who is now settled in the US is said to have been given an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed sum nearing a million euros. Her parents as well as her two older brothers are said to have been separately settled. They are grateful for the outcome of the vote and for the settlements but they say it will not bring her back. Irish lawmakers will soon introduce legislation to respect the results of the referendum. There is a movement to informally call it “Savita’s Law”. Roland Francis Toronto.
