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A MARCH IS taking place in Dublin this afternoon to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Savita Halappanavar.
Her death reignited calls to repeal the eighth amendment to Ireland’s constitution, which largely prevented legal access to abortion.
Director of the National Women’s Council Orla O’Connor said today that Savita’s death was a “turning point in Ireland as the public clearly saw the harms and risk to women’s lives because of the eighth amendment”.
Savita, a dentist, died in 2012 in University Hospital Galway while she was 17 weeks pregnant – the first direct maternal death in the hospital in 16 years.
Doctors on the ward believed that she was in the middle of a miscarriage or about to miscarry but when Savita and her husband Praveen asked about using medication to induce the miscarriage, as Savita was experiencing pain and bleeding and was at risk of infection and sepsis, they were advised that doctors’ hands were “tied” under Irish law as long as there was a foetal heartbeat.
Savita died after a week in hospital, with her cause of death recorded as severe sepsis, E.coli in the bloodstream and a miscarriage at 17 weeks.
Crowds marking Savita’s death gathered at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin from 1pm today to march across the city before speeches at City Hall on Dame Street.
The march route also included the Repeal mural at the Project Arts Centre.
Former TD Ruth Coppinger of the Rosa Socialist Feminist Movement said that Ireland “must never forget Savita, whose denial of a life-saving abortion lit the spark for the repeal movement”.
“A campaign for a permanent memorial to Savita will be launched from the march as a fitting reminder that never again should religious views hold sway over human rights,” Coppinger said.
“Winning repeal put the brakes on a long and grim record of state misogyny but we see this week insulting redress for mother and baby homes survivors and no progress whatsoever since repeal in separating church and state,” she said.
“Those who fought for repeal are marching today, but so too are young people who don’t remember Savita, but who see the rights of women and LGBT+ people dismantled in the US and see schoolgirls bravely taking on religious dictatorship in Iran.
“The rights of women and LGBT+ people are first in the firing line of right-wing leaders coming to power worldwide.”
Director of the National Women’s Council Orla O’Connor said that Ireland’s current legislation “goes against the recommendations of the World Health Organisation and situates abortion outside the normal range of healthcare which women need”.
“Urgent reform is needed to decriminalise abortion, remove the 3 day wait period and the 12 week limit to enable abortion on request up to viability,” O’Connor said.
Activist Ailbhe Smyth said she was marching to honour Savita’s memory and that her “needless, deeply sad death” was “the spark that ignited a massive movement for change leading to a momentous leap forward for reproductive rights and for equality in Ireland”.
“We are proud of what we achieved but there is a great deal more work to be done to ensure that everyone who needs abortion can do so,” Smyth said.
“Research and experience show that significant reform and expansion of the current abortion law is required, along with countrywide provision of comprehensive primary care and hospital services. Without the provision of widely accessible services, an abortion law is not worth the paper it’s drafted on.”
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Keep strong, you are a survivor and always will be. You should be very proud of yourself.
Inspirational. What happened to you was diabolical but it doesn’t define you. I wish you joy happiness and success in everything you do.
Well done you will be a great help to other survivor s..wish u a happy life
What amazing strength you show. You are a survivor and always will be. You should be very proud of yourself.
Well done to you I myself am a victim of sexual abuse over a 3 year period by a neighbour. It really did a lot of damage but when I went to the guards they arrested him and believed him over me because he worked for the army and was an officer.
Fast forward it to 2012 i get him supenaed to court 2 days before he commits suicide. He’s family say he dies of a heart attack.
I know the undertaker he tells me the truth.
He did what he had to do and so did I well done to you I admire you strength. I have a wonderful life but we all have our crosses to bare.
Well don’t and congratulations.
Whether or not your believe yourself to be brave, Im sure every person who read this can only think you’re braver than most people in this world. You went from the horror you experienced to being an inspiration for those who might find themselves in that situation and you should be incredibly proud. Good luck with whatever you want to achieve, its hard to imagine you wont reach your goal whatever that might be!
I am happy that you don’t flinch at touch. I am glad you don’t try to wash away the dirt. I hope you don’t try to.numb your pain in food or alcohol or drugs. The fact is there are many survivors out there struggling each in their own way. I don’t think it was your intention, but I felt your comments on flinching and showering smacked of tuppence ha’penny looking down on tuppence. Every survivor has a stoney path to walk and each path is difficult. Keep growing, but have compassion for those who do shower ferociously or flinch at touch.
@Ian Phillip Creaner: as you said it wasn’t her intention, and I don’t think she is looking down at anyone or judging anyone. She’s a survivor, she’s brave beyond words even though she doesn’t know it, not just to endure and survive but to speak out and help others. Every survivor has their way of surviving and dealing with the past, of burying it or setting it free, of flinching or trying to wash it away or shut it out. Just different ways of dealing with the pain. No judgement, just different.
Aicha, you are a brilliant young woman who has a special talent for writing. When I was reading this I thought it was by a much more experienced writer, and I was amazed to find you’re at university age!
Well done to you for writing this powerful article, I wish you every success and happiness in life. Traumatic betrayals and abuse aren’t “gotten over”, they’re worked through, and it seems like you’re well on your journey.
I’m so glad to hear you’re enjoying yourself with your girlfriend and going to gigs, you’re going to have such a good time in university!! All the best! Xx
@Veronica: I thought the exact same thing, super, super writing from someone so young. All the best with the leaving cert and university Aicha, I hope to read more of your work some day!
I myself have a book coming out soon. It’s called groomed by a predator.. watch out for it. Also best of luck in your leaving cert
Your natural inner strength is the best vengeance you could have. You’re a total inspiration.
He was no father, he was just a hateful object, laws need stepped up, the courts do little, they just listen to harrowing stories, that all end up the same, wrecking families, and lives, a child enduring that ongoing abuse without anyone there to question or intervine as to where the pedo was taking the child, was disgusting, grown men should just leave children alone, pedo’s know themselves they should be locked away, pedo’s know the courts are just a laughing stock, there to be mocked, in a sense the courts are not taking control, so they are as much to blame, as they have pedo’s walking away like protected species, and the pedo’s know that too, robbers and tough men get massive sentences compared to them, so it’s not as if the courts don’t know how to pass sentances, they do it very well, why should survivors of abuse have to be so brave, they should all be safe in the knowledge that crimes against children will be dealt with to help them heal from the everyday trauma they will go through.
@Louisa Anna Harley: I agree with you when that person was arrested the dpp sent me a letter to say that there coukd be no charges against him. Why because he worked as an army officer and they look afyer each other not them all I may add but it ruined me for years I turned to drink and drugs and eventually went to rehab in 2001.
I have been clean now 19 years tip wood. So i had to pass this persons house everyday until the onky thing i coukd do was to go after his estate and get him into court that way and he cut his wrists and took his own life 2 days before court.
People said to me did I feel guilty because he committed suicide because I got his supeaned for court.
If he was an innocent man why would he do what he donr and no I didn’t feel guilty he chose his path and I had to get on with my life.
I went to the local papers and told my story anonymously. When I went to my local tape crisis center after I told my story they hung my article in the hall, and I was told by councillor that thay were over run with calls saying that it gave people the courage to come forward.
That’s what gave me strength. But in my book I have named his name.
His family got a well known drug dealer to approach me to ask me to forget about it offered me 30,000 € I told him burn it all proceeds of my book will go to the rape crisis center.
I wish you the very best. In life your a brave soul.
Do not ever think that you ever did wrong you didn’t.
Congratulations more people like us both shoukd come together and speak out as one voice.
Wow, thank you for sharing your story and for your courage and openness. You are an exceptional person to have gone through something like that and come out the other side. You deserve nothing but happiness.
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