At 4pm today outside the Irish consulate in Edinburgh, a public protest against the needless death of Savita Halappanava in Galway, Ireland will be held. More details on the group’s Facebook page.
Savita died of an infection after her miscarriage at 17 weeks which it is alleged “was needlessly prolonged”.
The protesters claim that an abortion could have been performed in a hospital in the UK or in India, saving the life of this 31-year-old dentist, but the Republic of Ireland’s only legislation on abortion is the 1861 Act which has never been repealed or amended.
They go on to say:-
“Thousands of women leave Ireland every year for abortions in the UK and in other jurisdictions. Ireland has an abortion rate normal for a European country: but almost all legal abortions are outsourced overseas at the expense of the patient, who must pay for her travel and for the cost of the abortion, even if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest: even if her pregnancy is acknowledged to threaten her health. The only legal circumstances for abortion in the Republic of Ireland is if the foetus is not viable and the woman’s life is at risk.
In 1982 the Irish Supreme Court ruled that it was necessary for the Government to legislate for abortion, after the Child X case (a child pregnant as result of rape, whose parents had to challenge the Irish government for her right to leave Ireland to have an abortion). In 2010, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Irish government had failed to provide clear guidelines for medical staff and patients so that abortions could be carried out legally where this
would save the woman’s life.Nothing has been done. The Irish government have promised investigations, but not legislation. In Dublin, in London, and in Edinburgh, protesters carry the message “Enough is enough – time to legislate”.
At the vigil on Saturday, the last day of Diwali 2012, protesters will deliver greetings cards for the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, and the Health Minister, James Reilly, as a reminder that this week Diwali, the Festival of Lights, was made tragic for the family of Savita Halappanava and for the Indian community in Galway, where Savita, a trained dancer as well as a dentist, had choreographed Diwali performances for three years.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
