Savita's death is wake-up call, says Irish senator

Senator Ivana Bacik, in the strongly worded opinion piece in Irish Times, wrote that the news of Savita Halappanavar's death in appalling circumstances is a wake-up call for legislators.

It's time for us to "stop talking and legislate", said an opinion piece by an Irish senator who described the agonising death of Savita Halappanavar in Ireland as a wake-up call.

Senator Ivana Bacik, in the strongly worded opinion piece in Irish Times, wrote that the news of Savita's death in appalling circumstances is a wake-up call for legislators.

Halappanavar arrived Oct 21 with back pain at Galway University Hospital where she was found to be miscarrying at 17 weeks. Doctors refused to terminate her pregnancy and she died of septicaemia Oct 28, sparking outrage in India and Ireland.

"No more inaction. For 20 years now the lives of Irish women have been put at risk by the failure of successive governments to legislate...," Bacik said.

The heartbreaking account of Savita's final days, "as expressed in the dignified words of her husband, has generated immense grief and outrage nationally. It has also generated a strong sense of shame. It is utterly shameful that our State could have failed a young woman and her family so tragically".

Savita Halappanavar is seen in an undated family photo in Galway, Ireland. Reuters/Irish Times/HO

Mary Phelan holds a picture of Savita Halappanavar in protest outside University Hospital Galway in Galway, Ireland. Reuters