In 2012, Savita Halappanavar sought treatment at a hospital in Galway, Ireland; she was 17 weeks pregnant, in pain and miscarrying.
Her repeated requests for an abortion were ignored because of the presence of a fetal heartbeat, according to her husband. She died of septicemia — or blood poisoning by bacteria — 2½ days later.
Halappanavar’s death is viewed as a pivotal moment in the abortion debate in Ireland, leading the country toward overturning its constitutional ban on abortion in a referendum six years later.
Pregnancy and the process of giving birth can be traumatic and carries inherent risks — everything from excessive bleeding to vaginal and
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