Ireland abortion vote: How the death of Savita Halappanavar helped bring about referendum

The death of a pregnant dentist was a tragic catalyst for the debate around legalising abortion in Ireland.

Indian national Savita Halappanavar died in hospital in Ireland after being denied a termination following complications with her pregnancy.

She was 17 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to University Hospital Galway with back pain in 2012. After initially being released, she was readmitted hours later and, after further examination, it appeared a miscarriage was inevitable.

When she asked for a termination, fearing that her life was in danger, she was refused. Within days, the 31-year-old was dead from an infection, having suffered a miscarriage four days earlier.

Her husband Praveen Halappanavar claimed hospital staff had told the couple Ireland was "a Catholic country" meaning an abortion would not be permitted.

A report into Mrs Halappanavar's death found multiple failures in the care she was offered, adding that the lack of clarity on when abortions could be legal were a "material contributory factor" in her death.

The tragedy, in 2012, acted as a catalyst which has helped bring Ireland to the stage where it is voting in a referendum on liberalising abortion laws.

It sparked protests in Dublin, Galway and Cork, as well as prompting Catholic bishops to release a statement saying the church did not believe the right of an unborn child was more important than a woman’s right to life.

And Mrs Halappanavar’s death increased calls for legalisation, as well as demands from medical professionals for greater clarity in when a termination could be legally committed.

In 2013, partly in response to Mrs Halappanavar's death, the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act was passed in Ireland, setting out the circumstances in processes by which abortion can legally be performed. The act also legalised abortion in cases where suicide by the pregnant woman is feared.

Almost six years after the tragedy, Irish voters on Friday were casting their ballots in a referendum on whether the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution should be repealed. Mrs Halappanavar's face has appeared widely on posters calling for a change in the law.

If the country votes for the repeal, politicians would be allowed to set abortion laws in the future - paving the way for legalisation.

Mrs Halappanavar’s father said this week that he hopes voters will remember his daughter’s death when they cast their ballots.

“I hope the people of Ireland remember my daughter Savita on the day of the referendum, and that what happened to her won’t happen to any other family,” Andanappa Yalagi told the Guardian.

“It’s still very emotional after five years. I think about her every day. She didn’t get the medical treatment she needed because of the eighth amendment. They must change the law.”