A year after the tragic death of the Mangalorean dentist Savita following complications arising from a miscarriage, the Irish lawmakers finally backed a groundbreaking law that will allow abortion in limited cases in the predominantly Catholic country.
The legislation cleared the final hurdles Friday after days of debate and delays, and finally the Irish lower house, Dail, passed the bill by an overwhelming majoirty 127-31 vote allowing limited abortion rights. The Bill authorises a termination of the foetus if the doctor feels that the mother’s life is at risk, including in some cases of a suicide threat. The bill was drafted by the Irish government in the wake of the tragic death of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar, who was denied a potentially life-saving abortion when she was found to be miscarrying.
The 31-year-old died at Galway University Hospital last October of blood poisoning and subsequent medical reviews indicated that Ireland's ambiguous anti-abortion laws needed to be clarified. The case re-ignited debate on the issue and has revealed deep divisions in the Catholic nation, with the parliamentary vote going on for a marathon two days.
Irish prime minister Enda Kenny and his coalition government pushed through the bill despite threats of excommunication from cardinals and bishops. The bill now needs an upper house endorsement but pro-choice and anti-abortion groups have already threatened court cases to challenge the new law.
Meanwhile, the Irish High Court yesterday refused to grant an injunction aimed at stopping provisions of the abortion bill being voted into law. The legislation which passed through the Dail after 24 hours of debate will not stop the annual abortion trail from Ireland to Britain.
According to the latest Irish department of health figures released, about 4,000 Irish women, including 124 minors, travelled to British hospitals and clinics to terminate their pregnancies last year.
