(Irish woman died after denied abortion) Savita inquest told of repeated requests for termination

[alp227]

Source: Irish Times

Praveen Halappanavar has told the inquest into his wife Savita's death how she repeatedly asked doctors at University Hospital Galway for a termination, but this was refused because her foetus was still alive.

Mr Halappanavar said he and his wife asked consultant obstetrician Dr Katharine Astbury for a termination last October after learning that she was miscarrying at 17 weeks.

Ms Halappanavar died of septicaemia one week after being admitted to the hospital.

On the first day of the full inquest in Galway today, Mr Halappanavar spent 90 minutes reading his statement before Galway coroner Ciaran McLoughlin.

Read more: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/savita-inquest-told-of-repeated-requests-for-termination-1.1352690

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The first LBN thread I posted about the Savita story back in mid November got 141 recommendations. The inquest was the 2nd top story on the RTE Radio 1 hourly news I just heard this hour behind the death of former UK PM Thatcher.

[SunSeeker]

1. Someone needs to go to jail for this.

Thanks for the update.

[Chakab]

2. Not going to happen.

The abortion ban is in their fucking constitution.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. There might be a question of malpractice

Fergal Bowers, health correspondent for RTE, who is live-tweeting the inquest, said Dr Astbury said there was no danger on Tuesday.

Inquest: Consultant obs, Dr Katherine Astbury will say termination not warranted on Tues Oct 23, as no threat to #Savita‘s life.

Really? Because what I learned from a lot of sources – medical sources, especially Dr Jen Gunter on Twitter – is that that’s just flat-out false: a protracted miscarriage is always dangerous. Period. There isn’t ambiguity about it. A dilated cervix is an open door to infection.

So if that’s going to be the line that Astbury takes…it looks like admitting stark malpractice. Or perhaps, more frighteningly, that Irish hospitals allow their standard of care to be warped by Catholic “teachings.”

http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterfliesandwheels/2013/04/as-no-threat-to-savitas-life/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+freethoughtblogs%2Fbutterfliesandwheels+%28FTB%3A+Butterflies+and+Wheels%29

Also via Butterflies and Wheels, the body which represents all Irish doctors doesn't want anything changed in their laws - outrageous:

IMO rejects motions on abortion

The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has rejected a motion calling for regulation in relation to the provision of abortion where there is a real and substantial risk to the life of the mother.

In a heated and occasionally bad-tempered debate at the organisation's annual conference in Killarney, doctors also voted against a motion calling for legislation to allow abortion in Ireland in cases of rape or incest. They also voted against a motion calling on the Government to legislate for the provision of abortion for women with non-viable foetal abnormalities.

The session on the abortion motions was the best attended at the conference.

The three motions on abortion were proposed by Cork GP Dr Mary Favier.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/imo-rejects-motions-on-abortion-1.1350484

[Kelvin Mace]

3. Will never happen until

Ireland frees itself from the tyranny of the Catholic Church.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

8. they are starting to.

After all the kiddie horrors that nuns and priests inflicted on tens of thousands of kids in this small nation were almost unspeakable.

[Kelvin Mace]

4. One interesting point in a related story

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/hse-apologises-to-husband-for-care-it-gave-to-savita-1.1347025

The Health Service Executive has apologised for the care it gave to Savita Halappanavar and the events at Galway University Hospital that contributed to her death.

In a letter to her husband, Praveen Halappanavar, Tony Canavan, chief operating officer of the Galway Roscommon Hospital Group, extends his condolences and says: “I also wish to apologise sincerely to you and to Savita’s family for the events related to her care that contributed to her tragic, unexpected and untimely death.”

An actual apology, though they still used the phrase "contributed to" as opposed to more accurate "caused". But this is something you would NEVER see from a U.S. hospital.

[freshwest]

5. The couple expected to be treated as humans. The ultrarich would have jetsetted for care elsewhere.

Although perhaps not technically of the poor, they got the same treatment, waiting for a recognition of equality that only money affords.

[jmowreader]

6. Is there any way we can get a picture of her

This woman is the new face of the pro-choice movement. We talk about women who died in back alley abortions; this woman died because she couldn't get any abortion.

This needs to be crammed down the throat of anyone who claims there's no medical need for an abortion. For chrissakes, when the fetus starts miscarrying get it out of there.

[Shrike47]

7. It makes me furious when they say abortions are never medically necessary.

The speakers always seem to be white men.

[sakabatou]

9. This is what the anti-choicers want.

[LittleGirl]

11. thanks for the update eom

[dembotoz]

12. years ago my wife developed leukemia during the 3rd trimester

we avoided this situation this situation by the skin of my teeth.

she turned out the be far enough along that the C-section could be done and the kid
while preemie was ok

it was understood when they did the amnio the my wife had to become unpregnant one way or the other.

this could have been my wife
fuck the anti abortion bastard
fuckem all to hell

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Savita Halappanavar’s inquest: the three questions that must be answered

Dr. Jen Gunter is an OB/GYN and a pain medicine physician:

Savita Halappanavar was admitted at on a Sunday to Galway hospital at 17 weeks into her pregnancy with ruptured membranes, a dilated cervix, and an elevated white blood cell count (a marker of infection). It is clear that her diagnosis was chorioamnionitis, an infection of the fetal membranes. When left untreated the bacteria of chorioamnionitis march across the umbilical cord into both the maternal and fetal circulation. Left untreated, the outcome is maternal death.
...
To not deliver a woman in such a high risk situation requires proof that she does not have an infection. This can only be accomplished with an amniocentesis, which is extracting amniotic fluid from around the fetus and testing it for signs of infection. The results take 1-2 hours.

Savita Halappanavar’s medical team tells a different story. The testimony of the consultant obstetrician was that Ms. Halappanavar was not sick enough to be allowed a termination on Tuesday according to the Irish legal position. However, there is clear evidence that she was rapidly deteriorating on the Tuesday evening. Ms. Halappanavar’s heart rate was 110 beats/minute and her widower reports that she was shivering and her teeth were “chattering.” Tachycardia (a rapid heart rate) and shaking chills and clear clinical signs that she was gravely ill.
...
If the answer is, as the consultant obstetrician suggests, that Ms. Halappanavar was simply not sick enough to warrant delivery then it appears that the current “legal position” in Ireland is that a woman must be left brewing her infection until the stench is bad enough that Death himself gets a whiff and comes calling.

http://drjengunter.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/savita-halappanavars-inquest-the-three-questions-that-must-be-answered/