Ireland Has Performed Its First-Ever Legal Abortion, And It Saved A Dying Woman’s Life

[Triana]

The first legal abortion in an Irish hospital has been carried out in Dublin, the Irish Times confirmed on Friday. It represents the first pregnancy termination under Ireland’s historic new abortion law, which slightly relaxed the country’s total ban to allow for legal abortions in cases when it’s necessary to preserve a woman’s life.

Before Ireland’s prime minister approved the new law in July, the country’s abortion laws had not been updated since 1867. Now, there are 25 Irish hospitals that are authorized to perform legal abortions in life-threatening cases without worrying about legal repercussions.

The National Maternity Hospital in Dublin carried out the pregnancy termination for a dying woman whose membrane had ruptured for more than 24 hours. She ran a high risk of sepsis, and her 18-week twin fetuses had no chance of survival outside of the womb. Doctors said her case bore many similarities to that of Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old woman who died after being denied an emergency abortion in an Irish Catholic hospital last year. Halappanavar developed sepsis after she began to miscarry, but doctors wouldn’t terminate her doomed pregnancy until the fetal heartbeat had officially stopped three days later — and by that time, it was too late.

The Irish Times reports that in contrast to Halappanavar, the woman who received a legal abortion this month “has made a good recovery after receiving antibiotic treatment and undergoing the termination a number of weeks ago.”

THE REST:

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/08/23/2516291/ireland-legal-abortion/

[PDJane]

1. Abortion is definitely a women's health issue.

I am glad to see this.

[Lars39]

2. What is the medical reason for waiting even 24 hours?

That doesn't sound right at all.

[Thinkingabout]

3. From my early memory when doctors knew there was a major problem in a pregnancy and the life

Of both mother and baby was at risk the family was told " it is either the baby or the mother". My in-laws was faced with this decision in 1940, the pregnancy was not far enough along for the baby to survive so the father knew he was going to lose his wife if he did not make the decision to terminate a failed pregnancy and without the mother living the baby would not live for sure.

This is a good move and they realize sensible decisions.