The husband of Savita Halappanavar intends to sue the Irish government. The Daily Shift’s Lisa Redmond has the story…
Happy couple: Praveen with Savita before her tragic death.
The widower of Savita Halappanavar plans to sue the Irish government after his wife’s tragic death last month.
Praveen Halappanavar is said to be taking the government to the European Court of Human Rights, where it would be the first case of its kind. However there is an issue, as a public inquiry has not yet been carried out in Ireland. According to Mr Halappanavar’s solicitor:
“The difficulty is that we are seeking a public inquiry and the European court will of course wonder have we exhausted remedies here in Ireland first”
Savita Halappanavar died of organ failure on the October 28 after allegedly being refused a medical abortion by doctors in Galway University Hospital. The Indian woman was 17 weeks pregnant when she was admitted for severe pain during a miscarriage and died just one week later.
The 31-year-old dentist allegedly pleaded with doctors to perform a medical termination during her ordeal. Her pleas went unanswered as doctors denied her request due to the presence of a foetal heartbeat, telling her: “This is a Catholic country”.
A coroner ruled she died from blood poisoning and the contraction of e.coli bacteria.
The Halappanavar family had previously demanded that a public inquiry be carried out into the circumstances of Savita’s death. However, upon receiving reports on two separate investigations into Mrs Halappanavar’s death, health minister James Reilly said that he would take whatever action was necessary.
Mr Halappanavar has refused to settle for anything less that a public inquiry and is now taking matters into his own hands.
The widower’s solicitor has expressed optimism for his client stating that:
“being a witness to everything that happened to his wife in hospital would be important for any report”
An inquest will be held in Galway, with the case being brought under article two of the European Convention of Human Rights.
