THE BODY TASKED with overseeing the implementation of rulings by the European Court of Human Rights will examine the Irish Government’s response to the ABC ruling by early December.
The Committee of Ministers in the Council of Europe will give its view on Ireland’s compliance with the ruling case on 4 – 6 December, RTÉ reports.
The Taoiseach told the Dáil today that the Minister for Health James Reilly had received the report of the expert group on abortion in the last 24 hours – but that it had not yet been seen or read. The group was set up to examine how Ireland can implement the European ruling on abortion rights.
The news comes amid outrage that a 31-year-old woman, Savita Praveen Halappanavar, died in a Galway hospital after being refused an abortion as she suffered a miscarriage over two days last month.
Savita had presented to the hospital on 21 October complaining of severe back pain and was found to be undergoing a miscarriage; however, the foetus remained inside her body and a foetal heartbeat was detected.
Despite Savita requesting an abortion several times, the foetus was not removed until 24 October – after the foetal heartbeat had stopped.
Immediately afterwards Savita was brought to a high dependency unit in the hospital suffering from septicaemia. She died four days later on Sunday 28 October.
More than 2,000 attended a demonstration in memory of Savita Halappanavar outside Leinster House this evening.
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