IndiaTimescom, the online sister of The Times of India

Ireland Murders Pregnant Indian Dentist (India Times)

And on NDTV:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5biGe09uMDo

Meanwhile:

Ronan Emmet writes:

Thought your readers might be interested to see this. Coverage from Bangalore…

Meanwhile, a scathing discussion on progressive online news source, The Young Turks:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKifAdn8HCQ&feature=g-all-u

“You know oftentimes when we talk about extremism, we talk about countries in the Middle East. But when you look at some of the laws that Ireland has when it comes to contraception and when it comes to abortion, you realise just how religious they really are.”

Thanks Fifi

Dr Jennifer Gunter (above), a world-renowned obstetrician/gynecologist and author of the book,The Preemie Primer, writes:

As Ms. [Savita] Halappanavar, died of an infection, one that would have been brewing for several days if not longer, the fact that a termination was delayed for any reason is malpractice. Infection must always be suspected whenever, preterm labor, premature rupture of the membranes, or advanced premature cervical dilation occurs (one of the scenarios that would have brought Ms. Halappanavar to the hospital).

As there is no medically acceptable scenario at 17 weeks where a woman ismiscarrying AND is denied a termination, there can only be three plausible explanations for Ms. Hapappanavar’s “medical care” :

1) Irish law does indeed treat pregnant women as second class citizens and denies them appropriate medical care. The medical team was following the law to avoid criminal prosecution.

2) Irish law does not deny women the care they need; however, a zealous individual doctor or hospital administrator interpreted Catholic doctrine in such a way that a pregnant woman’s medical care was somehow irrelevant and superceded by heart tones of a 17 weeks fetus that could never be viable.

3) Irish law allows abortions for women when medically necessary, but the doctors involved were negligent in that they could not diagnose infection when it was so obviously present, did not know the treatment, or were not competent enough to carry out the treatment.

Since posting, Dr Gent has added: I [have] learned that Ms. Halappanavar’s widower reported that she was leaking amniotic fluid and was fully dilated when first evaluated. There is no medically defensible position for doing anything other than optimal pain control and hastening delivery by the safest means possible.

Read More: Did Irish Catholic Law Or Malpractice Kill Savita Halappanavar? (Dr Jen Gunter)

@JGunter

Dr Jen Gunter?

Via Jennie Parker

[click to enlarge]

Protestors earlier this evening outside Leinster House, Kildare Street demanding legislation on the X case ruling  in the wake of the death of Savita Halappanavar

Earlier: What You Can Do

Pics James Buckley, Laura Hutton (Photocall Ireland) and Karl.

Meanwhile…

Via Helen Clifford

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwVs_uOSq5E

I am writing to you as a concerned constituent. I have seen recent media coverage reporting that some members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party do not believe they have a responsibility to legislate to protect women’s lives in line with the judgment of the Supreme Court in the X case and the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in the A, B and C v Ireland case.

I cannot see why this is happening. In the A, B and C case the European Court of Human Rights found that a woman whose pregnancy is life-threatening is prevented from accessing her constitutional right to an abortion because of the failure of the State to implement of the Supreme Court’s ruling in the “the X case”.

In 1992 the Supreme Court gave its judgement in the X case. Twice since then the Irish people have voted in referendums to uphold the right to an abortion where pregnancy poses a risk to a woman’s life including the risk of suicide.

We have been waiting for 20 years for the Government to bring in legislation to give effect to this limited right to an abortion. The European Court of Human Rights found that successive Government’s failure to vindicate a right established in the Irish constitution amounts to a violation of women’s human rights

It is my view and the view of many other people that legislation is the only way in which we can give clarity to women and their doctors as to their legal position when a pregnancy poses a threat to a woman’s life.

Legislation will give doctors the legal footing to provide life-saving medical interventions to Irish women and ensure that seriously ill women, like Applicant C in the A, B and C v Ireland case, and like Michelle Harte, who also had cancer and was refused treatment by the ethical committee of a hospital, will no longer be forced to travel outside the State for medical treatment to save their lives.

Other countries have implemented legislative regimes that strike a balance between ensuring women’s access to abortion where it is lawful and regulating such access. Ireland can and must do the same.

An expert group on abortion will shortly report to the Government. I urge you to do all you can as an elected representative to ensure that, at the very least, the Government introduces legislation to implement the expert group’s recommendations.

I am a constituent of yours and I want legislation to be introduced as a matter of priority to give effect to the X case. I would ask that this view be represented by you as my democratically elected representative.

If you wish to send this to your TD click here.

Via National Women’s Council of Ireland

Earlier: Why?

Thanks Tom Duke