Blog 11: “Religion” keeps a woman from getting a lifesaving abortion

A woman, Savita Halappanavar, arrived at her University Hospital on October 21, complaining of pain. When doctors examined her, they stated she was miscarrying. They would not remove the fetus because she was 17 weeks pregnant and it still had a heartbeat.  Her husband told reporters that the staff informed the couple that “This is a Catholic country.” When he told them that he was neither Catholic nor Ire land (coming from India), they told him they couldn’t do anything. The doctors told them that they couldn’t save the baby and Savita was in agony. She came to accept the fact that her baby wouldn’t survive. She asked if they could not save the baby could they at least end the pregnancy and the consultant said as long as there was a heartbeat they couldn’t do anything. They did not remove the fetus until its heartbeat stopped on its own. It was only then that they moved her t intensive care. She died on October 28 from septicaemia. An investigation has opened and Prime Minister Enda Kenny is facing a wave of outrage over the case. In Ireland, a woman has a constitutional right to an abortion if her life is in danger but in Savita’s case that didn’t happen.

This issue is widely considered around the world. Not only is this happening in just Ireland but everywhere. Places where pro-life is considered is often putting an unborn baby above a mother’s life, knowing the baby won’t survive. It could be considered a social problem if there was a lot of uproar and the society was trying to do something about it, but there wasn’t. Globally it is an issue because the same exact problem is happening around the world. No one is necessarily saying whether pro-life or pro-choice is right but when it comes to the life of an already living body to one that is not yet developed and definitely not going to survive, whose life should be put first?? It could even be considered a personal issue because Savita’s husband couldn’t do anything about his wife’s agony for both the pain the fetus was causing and the pain of losing it. He had to stand by and watch his wife die because she wasn’t given the option of abortion, due to the dominant religion. The fact that things like this still continues to strive is crazy. A mother’s life is just as important as a child’s life especially when it comes to a life and death matter between an unviable fetus and a woman’s life.

http://www.salon.com/2012/11/14/religion_keeps_a_woman_from_getting_a_life_saving_abortion/