Western Abortion Law Looks Deadly
The high mortality rates of pregnant women in India are a big topic of political concern. But, what about Ireland?
An Indian woman who
lived in Ireland lost her life there because of the country's criminalization
of abortion. Had she been home, her life would have been saved.
When Savita
Halappanavar, 31, went into Galway Hospital in Ireland during the last days of
October, she could not have imagine her subsequent death; neither that it would
cause protests around the world. Originally from India, she was 17 weeks
pregnant when she felt something was wrong. She talked to her doctor
because she was having a miscarriage, but her petition for abortion was ignored
by doctors. Halappanavar died of blood poisoning on October 28.
According to
women’snews.org, the discussion of the new century is to reduce maternal
mortality rates around the world by 75% by 2015. They are focused on
women in developing countries such India, where there is a high rate of
maternal mortality due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.
If Halappanavar had stayed in her home state of Kamataka in South India,
rather than moving to Ireland, she would have lived because in India,
abortion is legal under the Medical Termination Act of 1971.
Halappanavar’s husband,
who is an engineer employed in Ireland, demanded a public investigation of his
wife's denied petition for abortion, which caused her death. Amnesty
International took this case up with the Ireland Ministry of Health to present
a formal petition requesting the causes of her death. A month after
Halappavanar died, the committee set up by government released a report
including suggestions for amendments to the existing abortion laws.
Indian women’s rights
activists point out that this case has shown the entire world
that females are “second-class citizens" in many cultural
contexts. The Commissioner for Human rights, Mary Robinson, declared at a
two-day international seminar held at Harvard Law School in 2010 that,
“becoming pregnant was a health risk" and that “not addressing the issues
amounts to human right violations no less.”
I believe women from
around the world need to speak up and to fight against the violations committed
against our rights.
I remember this reading about this and it was such a sad thing that happened to her! Although I don't always feel abortion is right, I also know it's up to the woman to be able to choose what she wants to do with her body I also think that in cases of medical urgency it's also really important to weigh all the options that are available.
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