This week marks ten years since the death of Savita Halappanavar, who died on the 28th October 2012.
The young Indian woman was seventeen weeks pregnant when she presented to University Hospital Galway complaining of severe back pain.
Although informed by doctors that she was actively miscarrying, she was denied access to an abortion, despite multiple requests.
One week later, she was dead.
Summer 2025: 100 great restaurants, cafes and places to eat around Ireland
Housewife of the Year review: A reminder that Ireland of the 1970s and 80s was no country for women of any age
‘There’s a menace, an edge to life in America that wasn’t there before. And the possibility of dark stuff’
Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+: 10 of the best new shows to stream in June
What followed was a public outpouring of grief and calls for a change to Ireland’s strict abortion laws.
People took to the streets demanding reproductive rights for all Irish women. Five years later, the 8th Amendment was repealed, giving women in Ireland access to abortion care.
In this episode of The Women’s Podcast, Róisín Ingle is joined by Kitty Holland, the Irish Times journalist who broke the story of Savita’s death, Ailbhe Smyth Co-director of Together for Yes and Anna Cosgrave, the abortion rights activist who created the famous Repeal jumpers. Together, they reflect on Savita’s life, the legacy she left behind and why her name will never be forgotten.
