A woman died in Ireland only because doctors denied her repeated requests to remove her fetus after she was diagnosed miscarriage. The reason what the medical staff at Galway University Hospital in Ireland was that their country was a catholic nation and removal of fetus when it was alive was not allowed. This ugly episode of mere carelessness of medicos took place between October 21 and October 28, 2012. Savita Halappanavar was the woman who approached this hospital on October 21 and she had to undergo three days of terrific pain until the fetal stopped beating the heart.

The doctors finally removed the dead fetus but the situation by then worsened and Savita Halappanavar died of septicemia. This incident not only triggered anger among NRIs but scores of people across the globe. In fact, many people even took out candle light rallies expressing solidarity with Savita. Reacting to the outcry of the public, the government in Ireland had finally set up an expert committee to investigate into the death of Savita Halappanavar.

(AW Phani)