The Savita Story

by Kitty Holland

Seventeen weeks pregnant and facing a miscarriage, Savita Halappanavar and her husband Praveen walked into an Irish maternity ward in October 2012. Unwittingly, the couple also walked into that deeply controversial arena in which Ireland's legislative position on abortion remained unresolved.A week later, Savita was dead from septicaemia. Reports of her death and of the refusal to allow Savita a termination of her pregnancy sent shockwaves across Ireland and around the world. Once again the subject of abortion was catapulted to the very top of the agenda in Ireland. With the pro-life and pro-choice camps claiming the moral high ground, both sides in the bitterly contested battle sought to appropriate Savita's story and her image.In the midst of the ensuing rage and furore, the marches and protests, the threats and counter-threats that exploded across political and media platforms, Savita and the complete circumstances of her death were lost.In The Tragedy That Shook A Nation, Kitty Holland addresses this imbalance as she reveals the truth behind the headlines and explores many unanswered Who was Savita? How significant was it that she was a non-Irish, non-Catholic woman in search of help on Irish soil? And how did her husband and her community's reaction to her death shape the parameters of the debate which followed? Holland's exposé also looks at how the tragic circumstances of Savita's death played a part in compelling the Irish Government to finally legislate on abortion and how activists on each side succeeded or failed in shaping that legislation.

Genres: Nonfiction

Kindle Edition

First published October 10, 2013

Reviews

[Paul Bowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A woman died, needlessly, in an Irish hospital.

In 2012, Savita Halappanavar was 17 weeks pregnant when she entered a hospital in Galway, in the midst of miscarrying. She died seven days later.

Kitty Holland, a journalist who broke this story, details the events leading up to this tragedy and the fallout which rocked Ireland to its core.

It's difficult not to be consumed by rage reading this book, which is why it should be read.

[Margaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for an essay about abortion in Ireland that I’m currently writing and it has been very useful. Savita’s story is still responding to what’s going on in Ireland at the moment, especially the summer abortion referendum. I recommend this book to everyone. Savita’s story deserves to be known.

[Lata]

How tragic is it that 2 lives were lost because of misplaced religious beliefs. They could have easily saved Savita's life.
At least this incident led to changes in abortion laws in Ireland.

[Samarpita Sharma · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://sankshvet.blogspot.in/2014/01/...