woman dies for want of a abortion

Started by guy crouchback, November 14, 2012, 04:14:37 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

guy crouchback

QuoteTHE husband of a pregnant woman who died in hospital has told how they were on "top of the world" after learning of her pregnancy.

Savita Halappanavar (31) died in Galway University Hospital following a miscarriage after her family had requested an abortion when it became clear her baby could not survive.

It is understood the married woman, who was 17-weeks pregnant, died from blood poisoning.

Her husband, Praveen Halappanavar, who works for Boston Scientific in Galway, said they had held a baby shower with her mother and friends.

"She was fine, so happy," the 34-year-old said. However, after his wife later developed back pain and was in distress they visited Galway University Hospital.

"A doctor took a while to do some tests, I was called in I could see Savita in tears she was in shock. He told me there was cervical dilation and they don't think the baby will survive and there is no way to revert back. He said unfortunately I'm sorry I can't save the baby," her husband told RTE's News at One.

After she was found to be miscarrying, her husband asked for a medical termination to be carried out over three days but were refused because a foetal heartbeat was still present.

Her husband told how her condition began to deteriorate a few days later and she began to feel cold and unwell. "The last time I talked to her was in ICU," he said. "At around one o'clock the nurse came running and I was standing outside ICU, she told me to brave and took me into Savita." He said as the emergency team tried to save her life.

"The doctor told me he'd just lost her," Mr Halappanavar said, as he spoke from India where he had brought his wife's remains for burial.

Three investigations are being carried out into her death by the Coroner in Galway, the hosital's risk review group and the HSE's National Incident Management Team.

The case has already sparked debate over the right to an abortion where not having one might endanger the life of the mother.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/pregnancy-put-them-top-of-the-world-says-savitas-husband-3294325.html



i didn't see a thread on here about this story but i really think it deserves discussing.
to be honest i don't think i have ever been as shocked by something that happened in an Irish state institution and that's really saying something.

how this was allowed to happen it truly beyond me, and the failure of subsequent governments to legislate for this puts the rest of their cowardly self serving actions into context.

i don't necessarily blame the medical persona involved although a lot of questions have to be answered ,this is ultimately a complete failure of our political class to take any sort of responsibility for hard decisions that had to be made

LeoMc

Does the law not allow for abortions where the life of the mother is at risk?
If so there should be questions asked of her Doctors.

Ulick

Quote from: guy crouchback on November 14, 2012, 04:14:37 PM
i don't necessarily blame the medical persona involved although a lot of questions have to be answered ,this is ultimately a complete failure of our political class to take any sort of responsibility for hard decisions that had to be made

I would hold fire on that as it's my understanding they should have done a D&C if the mothers life was at risk - maybe that's different in the south? Either way Kenny's response to Adams in the Dáil this morning was shameful.

Rossfan

As far as I recall the Supreme Court Decsion in the famous "X" case  said Abortions can be performed if there's a risk to the life of the mother.
Whether the State subsequently passed a Law to that effect or not - I would suggest that it is a matter for a Doctor/Consultant or whatever they may style themselves  to decide if a mother's life is at risk.

Hopefully people will wait for the facts to be in the public domain before this tragedy degenerates into another shouting match between the Anti and Pro Abortion extremists pushing their own agendas.
Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

guy crouchback

following the x case in 1992 (i think) it was established that a termination was allowed if the life of the mother wast risk however every government since has refused to pass legislation on this as it was considered too much of a hot potato. this means that doctors have no guidelines on when they can preform the necessary procedure.
in this case they seemed to be waiting for the foetal heartbeat to stop before performing the D&C, event though miscarriage was inevitable. the delay  (3 days) seems to have caused or greatly worsened the infection which killed this woman.


Hereiam

They doctors were saying that the heart was still beating so they couldn't/wouldn't abort it. How were the doctors/nurses to know that she would go down hill so quick. i think the law needs to change after this case and that a bit of common sense needs to provail.

guy crouchback

Quote from: Hereiam on November 14, 2012, 04:47:42 PM
They doctors were saying that the heart was still beating so they couldn't/wouldn't abort it. How were the doctors/nurses to know that she would go down hill so quick. i think the law needs to change after this case and that a bit of common sense needs to provail.

that's the problem there is no law because not one government in the last 20 years had the courage to introduce legislation because parts of it would have been controversial in relation to the whole abortion debate.

to me this case is not about the abortion debate at all really. i don't really believe that even the most ardent pro life campaigner would argue that this situation should have been allow to escalate as it did .

to  me it is about the pathetic  bunch of shleevens we have as politicians and not just Fianna fail either the PD's were as guilty as anyone here as were labour and fine Gael.

trileacman

I'd hold judgement until there is more information on the particulars of this case. I see we've all started appropriating blame after reading a 150 word news report. There was a greater body of evidence against Lord McAlpine.  ::)
Fantasy Rugby World Cup Champion 2011,
Fantasy 6 Nations Champion 2014

seafoid

If she had gone to a hospital in India she would still be alive.
It is a day to be ashamed to be Irish.
"f**k it, just score"- Donaghy   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbxG2WwVRjU

deiseach

Quote from: trileacman on November 14, 2012, 04:55:04 PM
I'd hold judgement until there is more information on the particulars of this case. I see we've all started appropriating blame after reading a 150 word news report. There was a greater body of evidence against Lord McAlpine.  ::)

Well said.

Rossfan

Guy Crouchback has already decided that it was the lack of an abortion that caused this poor woman's death according to the title of the thread.
Is he/she suitably medically qualified to make such a judgement from one newspaper report?
Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

trileacman

Quote from: deiseach on November 14, 2012, 04:56:17 PM
Quote from: trileacman on November 14, 2012, 04:55:04 PM
I'd hold judgement until there is more information on the particulars of this case. I see we've all started appropriating blame after reading a 150 word news report. There was a greater body of evidence against Lord McAlpine.  ::)

Well said.

That sad thing is that the exact opposite will happen, the media will jump on this as stir as much as they to further their own interests whilst gobshite motormouths such as Nell McCafferty and Jon Waters twist the truth in order to further their own agendas.
Fantasy Rugby World Cup Champion 2011,
Fantasy 6 Nations Champion 2014

Rossfan

Indeed Trileac.
All rational debate and judgement will be out the window as the extremists take over the airwaves to push their black and white agendas.
Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

trileacman

Quote from: Rossfan on November 14, 2012, 04:59:52 PM
Guy Crouchback has already decided that it was the lack of an abortion that caused this poor woman's death according to the title of the thread.
Is he/she suitably medically qualified to make such a judgement from one newspaper report?

No buts its an easy and sensational accusation to make. It's not as simple a problem as everyone seems now to be saying.

You have to choose to save one life from a possible of two knowing that the longer you perpetuate the life of one the greater the danger to the other.

Any one of you have stood in that position, choosing who to save and who to kill, can pontificate to the rest of us about professional negligence or poor legislation. Otherwise you should guard your condemnation until more of the specific facts of the case emerge. Not just some piecemeal evidence and 3rd hand quotes.
Fantasy Rugby World Cup Champion 2011,
Fantasy 6 Nations Champion 2014

guy crouchback

Quote from: Rossfan on November 14, 2012, 04:59:52 PM
Guy Crouchback has already decided that it was the lack of an abortion that caused this poor woman's death according to the title of the thread.
Is he/she suitably medically qualified to make such a judgement from one newspaper report?

I'm not medically qualified to make any decision, and I'm only going on what has been reported throughout the day and on the interviews with the woman's husband. i have started this thread  because this is turning into a massive story that at present is being reported all over Europe and by tomorrow will be world wide.

this story is different because the reason it is a story at all comes back to the failure of politicians to implement  necessary legislation for over twenty years.

according to the woman's husband they were told by a member of the medical staff that a termination was not possible as ireland was a ''catholic contry''. now this may have been said as an expression of exasperation with the status quo or as an explanation of why  the status quo was the way it was.

either way it seems to point at the fact that the reason for not preforming the procedure earlier was not based solely on medical considerations.