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GALWAY: A senior midwife told an Indian woman her baby could not be terminated as she miscarried in an Irish hospital because "It's a Catholic thing", an inquest has heard.

Mrudula Vasealli said her friend Savita Halappanavar pleaded for her baby's heartbeat to be stopped when medical staff at Galway University Hospital said the foetus could not be saved.

Savita said, 'I can't take this waiting for the baby to die.'
Mrudula Vasealli

"She said, the midwife, 'We do not do that here dear. It's a Catholic thing"', Ms Vasealli told Galway Coroners Court.

"The nurses were lovely, They took good care of her. It's the system that was wrong."


Ms Halappanavar, 31, died from septicaemia on October 28, a week after she was admitted suffering from a miscarriage 17 weeks into her pregnancy.

Ms Vasealli and friends were at the hospital when Ms Halappanavar's husband Praveen was told she was suffering multi-organ failure and died from a heart attack.

"Somebody said Praveen collapsed," she said.

"He was brought to the lobby. He was vomiting there. He couldn't walk. After about half an hour we all went home."

Praveen Halappanavar previously told the inquest his Hindu wife asked for a termination three times before she finally delivered her dead baby daughter four days earlier.

Consultant obstetrician Katherine Astbury has denied his claims that she refused a termination on the grounds that it is "a Catholic country".

Ms Vasealli spent the day with Ms Halappanavar on the Tuesday before her death.

Ms Vasealli said in her statement which was read in the court: "Savita was very upset again because the foetal heartbeat was still there. She cried, saying 'What kind of mother am I waiting for my own baby to stop it's heartbeat? I'm losing it, I'm losing it terribly.' "

She told coroner Ciaran MacLoughlin that her friend cried continuously as a midwife checked again for a heartbeat between 11.30am and noon.

"We both, Savita and I, asked if there was a possibility of saving the baby because there was still a heartbeat after three days," she said.

"Savita said 'Can you please save it. If you can't do something to stop the foetal heartbeat, I can't take this waiting for the baby to die.' "

The court was adjourned while barristers for the hospital attempted to identify the staff member by her description and the roster.

Declan Buckley, senior counsel, said the "best guess" the hospital could make was that the woman was clinical midwife manager Ann Maria Burke, whose statement makes no reference to the allegation.

The coroner ordered that Ms Burke be added to the list of witnesses to be called.

Ms Halappanavar carried the baby until the Wednesday but by that night she was in critical condition in intensive care, where she died the following Sunday.

Earlier family friend Rupanjali Kundu, a senior house officer in obstetrics at the hospital, said she visited Ms Halappanavar on the Monday and Wednesday when she noticed a significant change in her health.

"She was lying on the bed and she was unable to speak that much," she said.

"She looked really ill. It was a significant change."

The inquest continues.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/world/its-a-catholic-thing-abortion-inquest-t
old-20130410-2hk69.html#ixzz2Q0nPaaWp

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Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
All information available does not seem to indicate any truth to your story, DT.

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Imagine that.

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Appears that the couple had been living in Ireland for several years, that the mother wanted the baby, but only sought termination after being told it would not survive.

Love to see your cites.

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Originally posted by DREAMTROVE:


If I had to venture a theory, I'd suggest a less scrupulous soul put her up to it.

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Originally posted by Magonsdaughter:
Beware. This is the kind of thing that will happen in the US if you allow the anti abortionists to continue to gain hand in policy making.

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Originally posted by Niki2:
I would really, sincerely, like to read any links DT has to what he put up...?

If he can't offer any backup, I'm afraid that for me this puts into question anything and everything DT posts in future. He's made many, many posts about historical facts and such, and I've respected his arguments--NOT all the time, I freely grant, but at least half of the time. Now I'm wondering if I should EVER give credence to what he offers, and I'm asking him to please provide cites or links or something to what he wrote here.

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Originally posted by Niki2:
Yeah, Magons; I almost wanted to offer an apology for putting up such a string of filth from an Ozzie...but then I went to the SITE from which it originated (some kind of forum board) and there was, believe me, far worse on the subject of Indians. Is racism toward them more common Down Under than it is here? Made me wonder...

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