Ireland inquest into death of Indian abortion woman

Ireland's strict abortion laws will come under scrutiny on Monday at the inquest into the death of a pregnant Indian woman who was allegedly denied a termination. Savita Halappanavar, a 31-year-old dentist originally from India, died in Galway University Hospital, on the west coast of Ireland, in October. Halappanavar was 17 weeks pregnant and was miscarrying when she attended the hospital complaining of back pain on October 21. Her husband Praveen said his wife, a Hindu, repeatedly requested a termination of the pregnancy but the appeal was refused because there was still a foetal heartbeat and because Ireland "is a Catholic country". Halappanavar is believed to have died of septicaemia, or blood poisoning, on October 28 -- five days after the foetus was removed when its heartbeat stopped. The inquest at the Galway court will attempt to determine exactly what caused her death. Inquests are legal hearings held in some countries including Ireland into sudden or unexplained deaths. They do not apportion blame. India has called on Irish authorities to ensure a "transparent" probe into Halappanavar's death. Irish police have compiled statements from more than 50 witnesses, a number of whom are set to appear at the inquest along with expert witnesses. The hearing is expected to last a week. At a preliminary hearing in January, coroner Ciaran McLoughlin promised an independent, open and prompt inquest. Praveen Halappanavar, a 34-year-old engineer at Boston Scientific in Galway, has so far refused to cooperate with two reviews into his wife's death. He is said to be unhappy with the draft conclusions of a report by the Health Service Executive (HSE), the state body responsible for the health service in Ireland. Praveen received a draft copy on March 29 with the HSE hoping for his input before the final report is sent to cabinet and published. Abortion is illegal in Ireland except when it is necessary to save the life of the mother, although legislation has never been passed to reflect the exception. Dublin intends to introduce legislation before the parliament breaks for the summer recess, but the plans have already divided opinions in a society that was still predominately Roman Catholic in the last census. Ireland's abortion laws have been the subject of intense debate for years. A 1982 referendum acknowledged the "right to life of the unborn... with due regard to the life of the mother," while a second in 1992 added an amendment that permitted the right to travel abroad for an abortion. The European Court of Human Rights condemned Ireland in December 2010 for forcing a pregnant cancer sufferer, who feared that having a baby would worsen her health, to have an abortion abroad.