Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Ligue Internationale de Femmes pour la Paix et la Liberté Liga Internacional de Mujeres por la Paz y la Libertad Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC, UNCTAD and UNESCO; Special Consultative Relations with FAO, ILO, and UNICEF.

   

   

Statement released 22 November 2012

WILPF Internat iona l on f reedom of cho ice in I re land    The  Women's  International  League  for  Peace  and  Freedom  denounces  the  death  of  Savita  Halappanavar,  a  young  Indian  woman  living  in  Galway,  Ireland.    She  died  because  the  medical  officer  attending  to  her  did  not  allow  the  termination  of  her  17  week  old  foetus,  even  though  she  was  miscarrying  and  an  abortion  could  have  saved  her  life.    The  medical  officer’s  reasoning  was  that  he  was  a  Catholic,  Ireland  is  a  Catholic  country  and  Catholic  doctirine  does  not  allow  abortions.    This  is  not  the  first  time  that  the  Irish  government  has  haphazardly  dealt  with  the  issue  of  abortion.  The  famous  Case  X  still  hangs  in  the  minds  of  many  Irish  as  a  reminder  of  the  division  on  the  issue  of  abortion  in  Ireland.  In  this  case  a  14  year  old  girl  (so  called  X),  was  inpregnated  by  rape  and  as  a  result  became  suicidal.    When  the  girl  sought  abortion  in  the  UK  (since  all  abortions  were  illegal  in  Ireland  at  the  time)  the  Irish  government  sought  to  stop  her  from  having  the  abortion  in  the  UK.  When  this  was  overruled  the  government  finally  ruled  to  allow  abortions  in  Ireland  in  cases  where  the  woman’s  life  is  in  danger.    Since  that  time,  little  has  been  done  to  properly  implement  this  ruling,  and  many  have  called  for  «  Action  on  X  ».  The  current  case  of  Savita  Halappanavar  has  lead  to  even  greater  outcries  for  reform,  and  mass  protests  have  taken  to  the  streets,  with  1000s  in  attendance.    The  calls  for  reform  are  supported  by  International  law  including  The  Convention  on  the  Elimination  of  all  Forms  of  Discrimination  Against  Women  (CEDAW),  adopted  by  the  UN  General  Assembly  in  1979,  set  the  agenda  for  women’s  reproductive  rights.  Since  then,  sexual  and  reproductive  rights  have  become  a  fundamental  right  for  women  all  over  the  world,  except  as  it  seems,  in  Ireland.      If  Savita  Halappanavar  had  had  the  right  to  choice  and  thus  the  right  to  abort,  she  would  not  have  been  condemned  to  die.    The  1995  Beijing  Platform  for  Action  outlined  the  necessity  for  the  discussion  of  the  sexual  and  reproductive  rights  of  women.  17  years  on,  and  in  the  wake  of  Savita  Halappanavar’s  death,  it  is  imperative  that  Ireland  readdresses  the  issue  of  reproductive  rights,  and  the  freedom  women  should  have  over  their  own  bodies.      The  Women's  International  League  for  Peace  and  Freedom  urges  the  government  of  Ireland  to  recognise  the  rights  of  women  to  abort,  so  that  in  the  future,  women  like  Savita  Halappanavar  do  not  lose  their  lives.