Blog 12: Woman's Death Prompts Abortion Debate

Southern Ireland is a very Catholic oriented country so naturally their laws reflect their religious beliefs. Abortion is not allowed in Southern Ireland unless the mother’s life is directly in danger. Even if the woman is having a miscarriage doctors will not carry out an abortion unless the fetus’ hear has stopped beating. Savita Halappanavar , an Indian residence or Ireland, lost her life after enduring a three day miscarriage that doctors refused to aid her with. Mrs. Halappanavar died of sepsis or blood poisoning while she stayed in the hospital with intense pain for days. Even though she was having a miscarriage the doctors would not perform a procedure that could have potentially saved her life because the fetus’ heart was still beating. Because of this tragic incident there has been a call for reform in Ireland’s laws concerning abortion and protests in Britain outside of the Irish embassy.

            This story is something I think most don’t think about when they consider issues surrounding abortion and whether it should be allowed. Typically when I think of abortion I think of women who are unable to care for children, or have conceived through rape or incest. I usually don’t consider the women who get abortions because their health is being negatively affected or if they are already having a miscarriage and want to ease their pain. I was directed to another link after reading this article about a Dominican teen girl who died after not being able to start chemo soon enough because she was pregnant and could not get an abortion. The girl, Rosa Hernandez, had a miscarriage after finally beginning chemotherapy for her cancer. She died the next die after going into cardiac arrest. I wonder how many women in countries strict on abortion laws have died because of similar circumstances. Because doctors refuse to take the mother’s needs into account they were left to just die. I don’t understand how a medical professional can be okay with a woman dying when they have the means to potentially prevent her death. 

Source 1: http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/14/world/europe/ireland-abortion-controversy/index.html?hpt=wo_bn6

Source 2: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/18/world/americas/dominican-republic-abortion/index.html