A group of UCD students held a candle light vigil outside the Newman Building on Thursday last, medicine November 15th, sildenafil in memory of Savita Halappanavar.
Savita (31) presented with back pain at University Hospital Galway on October 21st where it was found that she was miscarrying. She died of septicaemia a week later.
Her husband Praveen Halappanavar says that she asked several times over a three-day period for the pregnancy to be terminated. This was refused, he says, because the foetal heartbeat was still present and they were told, “this is a Catholic country”.
Reports of the circumstances surrounding Savita’s death have sparked outrage across the country with thousands taking to the streets in protest.
20 years after the controversial 1992 X case, pro-choice campaigners are now calling on the government to legislate to allow abortions to be carried out on demand.
Freddie Hoskin, a member of UCD pro-choice society who attended the vigil commented on the case, saying that something like this can never happen again.
“It is clear now that the pro-lifers are no such thing…We hope that our actions have, in some small way, helped to alleviate the crushing grief Savita’s family must be feeling,” said Hoskin.
Sinn Féin is to table a motion calling for legislation for the X Case in the wake of Savita’s death.
The event in UCD was reported on by France24 news channel.
By James Grannell
