New Delhi: The Irish cabinet has reached an agreement which will allow limited legal abortions for the first time ever. This historic bill is part of legislative changes that were promised after Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar died after she was denied a life-saving abortion.
The new bill, which will have to be passed in both houses of the Irish Parliament, will allow for limited legal termination where there is a threat to the mother's life. Savita was 17 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to University Hospital Galway and died of blood poisoning four days after delivering a dead foetus. An inquest into her death in April revealed that her two requests for termination were turned down on the grounds that Ireland is a "Catholic country".
The Irish government, which was already reviewing the country's stringent laws on termination, had reassured the public on arriving at a consensus on the issue following international outrage over Savita's case. New laws would mean that hospitals will have clear, legal guidelines when they considered requests for an emergency termination.
The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill has deeply divided the government of Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and some Catholic conservatives within his own party have vowed to reject the bill. While the new bill allows for maternal protection, including in cases of a credible threat of suicide, it does not include cases concerning rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormalities....
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London: Savita Halappanavar's consultant obstetrician has admitted there were a number of system failures in her care at Galway University Hospital, where the 17-week pregnant Indian dentist died last October. Dr Katherine Astbury told the ongoing inquest into Savita's death at Galway Courthouse in Ireland that she was unaware of blood test abnormalities, adding that the patient's vitals should have been checked more regularly after her foetal membrane ruptured. According...
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United States has selected the 23-year-old Delhi braveheart for the International Women of Courage Award. The award to the braveheart would be presented posthumously by the First Lady Michelle Obama and the Secretary of State John Kerry, on March 8, an official announcement said on Monday. ...
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National Commission for Women on Tuesday welcomed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's views that laws dealing with crime against women should be amended, saying they would help contain such violations. "It is a very good decision. She has asked for harsher punishment for the accused and has also said that steps will be taken to amend the Goondas Act." ...
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02:15 PM, Dec 17, 2012
London: The probe into Savita Halappanavar's death will be completed before Christmas, Ireland's Health Minister has said, even as her distraught husband was considering lodging a complaint with the Ombudsman to assert ownership of his wife's medical notes. "I've made it very clear this investigation must be completed as expeditiously as possible and I now understand that will happen before Christmas and I may have an interim report in a...
11:29 PM, Nov 25, 2012
London: Facing all round flak, Ireland on Tuesday announced a seven-member team headed by a noted Sri Lankan doctor to probe the tragic death of an Indian dentist after doctors allegedly refused to terminate her 17-week pregnancy despite serious complications, saying "this is a Catholic country". It also promised that the official inquiry would be fair, methodical and expeditious taking into account all factors. The Health Service Executive (HSE) set...
11:40 PM, Nov 20, 2012
London: Amidst a raging debate on the country's strict abortion laws, Ireland's Catholic bishops have said that the church "has never taught that the life of a child in the womb should be preferred to that of a mother". Reacting to the death of Savita Halappanavar, the standing committee of the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference said on Monday night that her passing, along with her unborn child, was "a devastating...
05:32 PM, Nov 20, 2012
London: Observing that the tragic death of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar illustrates a gap in Irish law, rights group Amnesty on Saturday asked Ireland to ensure that its domestic policy on access to abortion is in line with international human rights law. Amnesty International has written to Irish Minister for Health James Reilly over the issue expressing its concern. It said Amnesty is concerned that the tragic case of Savita...
09:06 AM, Nov 17, 2012
New Delhi: After the tragic death of a 31-year-old Indian dentist in Ireland, Savita Halappanavar, India has formally spoken to authorities in Dublin. But as the probe goes on, it has been found that thousands of women from Ireland are forced to travel to England for abortions. Savita was unfortunate to get trapped into a difficult choice in hospital. But other women simply travel abroad to exercise the choice that...
07:09 AM, Nov 17, 2012
New Delhi: The tragic death of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar's in Ireland sparked an outrage and brought the debate on the abortion laws to the fore front. Activists say medical negligence and not the Catholic Church should be blamed for Savita's death. The Indian ambassador in Dublin is expected to meet Irish authorities on Friday to discuss the case directly. However, India won't conduct an independent probe of its own....
07:28 AM, Nov 16, 2012
The tragic death of a 31-year-old Indian dentist in Ireland, Savita Halappanavar, has ignited public protests and political debate on the country's abortion laws that are based on Catholic principles. ...
11:26 PM, Nov 15, 2012
New Delhi: The tragic death of a 31-year-old Indian dentist in Ireland, Savita Halappanavar, who died after being denied a life-saving abortion at an Irish hospital, has ignited public protests and political debate on the country's abortion laws that are based on Catholic principles. Seventeen weeks pregnant, Savita was admitted to a hospital after she complained of severe back pain. Her husband said the doctors diagnosed the miscarriage within hours,...
09:35 PM, Nov 15, 2012
Dublin: Thousands of people rallied outside Ireland's parliament on Wednesday to demand strict abortion rules be eased after a pregnant Indian woman repeatedly denied a termination died in an Irish hospital. Savita Halappanavar, 31, admitted to University Hospital Galway in the west of Ireland last month, died of septicaemia a week after miscarrying 17 weeks into her pregnancy. Her repeated requests for termination were rejected because of the presence of...
08:43 PM, Nov 15, 2012
New Delhi: The debate over legalising abortions in Ireland has revived after the death of 31-year-old Savita Halappanavar, who died of complications after she was denied a potentially life-saving abortion. Seventeen weeks pregnant, Savita was admitted to the hospital after she complained of severe back pain. Her husband says doctors diagnosed the miscarriage within hours. Despite his appeals to conduct an abortion, they refused. Though the Irish Department has ordered...
06:33 PM, Nov 15, 2012
New Delhi: Reacting to the tragic death of an Indian woman dentist in Ireland after being refused abortion, the Ministry of External Affairs has said that the Indian embassy in Dublin is closely monitoring the developments. "We deeply regret the tragic death of Ms Halappanavar. Our Embassy in Dublin is following the matter closely. We understand that the Irish authorities have initiated two inquiries and we are awaiting the results,"...
02:38 PM, Nov 15, 2012
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07:10 PM, Oct 22, 2012
