Ireland owes great debt to Savita, say abortion activists

LONDON : Savita Halappanavar, the Indian dentist whose death in 2012 galvanised Ireland’s antiabortion campaign, continues to draw people to her memorial in Dublin, with campaigners saying the country owes her a “great debt”.

Supporting a call by her Belgaum-based father, Andanappa Yalagi, that the new abortion law after Friday’s referendum should be named after her, umbrella campaign group Together For Yes has confirmed its support for calling it “Savita’s law”.

Asked if Together for Yes supported the call, the group’s co-director Gráinne Griffin told a news conference: “Yes, in terms of Savita and her family, I think our country owes them a great debt. We were so honoured and so touched by the support that they lent to the campaign over the course of it.”

Savita’s smiling face became an enduring image of the Yes campaign, as Irish news organisations detailed how the death of the 31-year-old dentist provided a fillip to efforts to repeal the law.

The referendum resulted in a vote in favour of repealing the eighth amendment of Ireland’s Constitution, which gives equal rights to an unborn child even if the mother faces a threat to her life during pregnancy.

Ireland’s health minister

Simon Harris said he would seek cabinet backing on Tuesday to draft legislation that would allow abortions within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, subject to medical advice and a cooling off period, and up to 24 weeks in exceptional circumstances.