Case Studies

Over the years many women's abortion stories have circulated throughout the media in Ireland and across the world. Below details three more recent cases from both the Republic and Northern Ireland that have caused public outcry and even changes to legislation

In October 2012 Savita Halappanvar requested an abortion several times; she was in severe pain and was miscarrying. Her husband took her to hospital in Galway, Northern Ireland due to the pain but doctors told them ‘this is a catholic country’ and nothing could be done as there was a foetal heartbeat. This took place on a Saturday evening, by Wednesday there was no longer a heartbeat. Mrs Halappanvar was then taken to the ICU as her heart rate had significantly gone up. By Friday she was critically ill. On Sunday she died, some of her organs had stopped working. The autopsy revealed Savita had died from septicaemia and multiple organ failure.

The women known as Miss Y become one of the most harrowing accounts of how the 8th amendment affects women in Ireland. In 2014 Miss Y travelled to the Republic of Ireland in March as an asylum seeker, in April she discovered she was pregnant due to rape that occurred in her home country. Due to her status as an asylum seeker she was unable to travel abroad to get an abortion, Miss Y did attempt to obtain documents that would mean she could travel and subsequently return to Ireland but the process was lengthy and costly. If Miss Y was certain that she wanted an abortion then her only option was to obtain one legally in Ireland.

Miss Y had many doctors and counsellors appointments throughout this time and many medical professionals claimed she often appeared very distressed, she even stated at one time that she would rather die than have the baby. She deemed suicidal at this time, under the terms of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act Miss Y should have been granted an abortion but she was not. In July she repeatedly told medical professionals that she was going to kill herself and when on a hunger and thirst strike. By the 2nd of August the court decided to sedate and rehydrate Miss Y who then gives consent to have a caesarean section. This was recommended by her doctors who said that carrying the foetus to term would pose a significant risk to her mental health. Miss Y’s mental capacity at the time when she agreed to a caesarean section came into question after the fact.

The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act was introduced to prevent undue stress upon women who wish to and qualify for a legal abortion in the country. Under this act Miss Y was the ideal candidate for a legal abortion and it is unknown why her request was denied. The case was taken to the high court but was dismissed. Guidelines on the Act published by the Department of Health in July 2014 did not mention a caesarean section as an option for ‘termination’. In September 2014, after the Miss Y case, caesarean section was then included as a suitable alternative when a woman requests an abortion and the woman's life is at risk.

Over the last few years the abortion pill has steadily been growing as an option for women in Ireland who are unable to travel. While the pill is still illegal many services such as the Abortion Support Network (ASN) in the UK provide women with information of how and where to purchase them. Mara Clark the director at the ASN says they are receiving less and less calls now from women needing to travel to the UK for an abortion because of the availability of the pills.

In 2014 a girl of 19 in Northern Ireland obtained the pill and subsequently reported to the police by her housemates soon after. In 2016, the now 21 year old was given a suspended sentence for one year. The girl could not afford to travel to the UK for the medical procedure so she procured the pill online for a chemical abortion, which, according to most medical professionals including Peadar O’Grady, is a very safe way to terminate a pregnancy. In another case the same year a mother ordered the pill for her teenage daughter, this case has yet to be taken to court. Every day these pills are being seized before they reach the buyer.