Much has been said regarding Savita Halappanavar's case in Ireland. Before any more is said I feel I need to express myself not to present a defence for anyone but to just throw some light on a few things.
The Republic of Ireland is a sovereign country. Yes, it's made up of more than 80% Catholics but in no way it means that Catholic laws are enforced like in some Islamic nations in the Middle East where Islamic laws are enforced whether you like it or not. If Ireland is deemed as a Catholic country then we can comfortably say that we live in a Hindu Rashtra as the same case applies here too.
Secondly, we aren’t the right people to discuss this subject as we don’t know the true facts and the entire story. All we know is what’s been fed to us by the media which has left no stone unturned to give it maximum coverage. Thanks to having 2 sensitive issues rolled in 1 – a feminine side and a religious side, enough to get people ranting. Trust me if Bal Thackeray hadn’t passed away you would have seen a lot more of this. Discussing this subject without all the necessary facts and figures is like reacting to Ashwathama’s death in the Mahabharata. No one even bothered to find out whether the elephant was killed or the son.
Savita had been living and practicing dentistry in Ireland for quite some time. I wonder all this while esp. when she was expecting she didn’t get versed with the laws prevalent in the country. It’s important to know for any person to know the laws and workings of the land esp. when you are not in your home country. Her defence saying that she is a Hindu and hence the so called Catholic laws shouldn’t be applied to her is like saying that I’m not a Shiv Sainik hence all shops and public transport should be open for me even though all have been forcibly closed down on account of Bal Thackeray death.
The doctors and the hospital in this case were under a tight situation where the only options were to choose between the deep sea and the devil. In either case they would be criticized and are to this day. This reminds me of situations in India where the doctor refuses to act because it’s a police case.
This case is a very complicated one with many angles and perceptions. Any action now cannot bring Savita back and lessen the pain of the bereaved family. What can and should be done is make the laws clear and humane. If that’s achieved we need not worry about saving another Savita, she would be in safe hands.
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