Halappanavar, a woman of
Indian origin, was suffering from a
miscarriage (which was later assessed to be most likely due to a
bacterial infection),
[1][2] when she was some 17 weeks pregnant, she sought medical attention and treatment at University Hospital Galway. Beginning no earlier than the date of her hospital admission on October 21, her requests for an abortion were refused, instead being told that due to her
fetus retaining a heartbeat and her life not appearing to be in physiological danger, this was not legal.
[3] On one occasion she was told "it was the law, that this is a Catholic country."
[4] On the night of October 23, according to Praveen, her husband, Halappanavar was standing in a restroom and collapsed.
[5] The following day the
foetal remains were removed from her womb on 24 October in the operating theatre due to a diagnosis of
septic shock being made by a consultant,
[6] per Irish law. Savita Halappanavar's
septicemia further deteriorated despite being treated with oral
antibiotics for infection since late October 22 and
intravenous antibiotics since October 24.
[7] Both were ineffective and her condition rapidly evolved to the point of
organ failure and finally
cardiac arrest and death on 28 October 2012.
[8][9][10]
