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IT TOOK TWO weeks and a newspaper report on the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar to shift an official investigation on how it happened into gear.
Since then, the wheels of the state have been moving at lightning speed: A HSE-led investigation team was put together and then changed up in double quick time at vigorous protest from Praveen Halappanavar. Official Ireland never moves this quickly and is never as reactive to controversy as it has been on this sad occasion.
Of the reaction Kitty Holland, the journalist who broke the story in the Irish Times, said in an article in The Guardian that “The fact that Savita was not Irish has been central.” When one of our own comes to harm and the state is in any way implicated, the ranks close, the whole process is slowed down and obfuscation is the name of the game.
In this case we have a foreign woman living in Ireland and an international outcry. The Irish ambassador in India is doing the diplomatic equivalent of crawling on hands and knees and we’ve just sent a delegation out with junior minister Ciaran Cannon seeking to bring closer ties with the subcontinent. Official Ireland might protest otherwise, but the sad reality is that it can move as quickly as it likes when it feels the glare of foreign scrutiny.
If Savita had been Irish, there is a reasonable track record to suggest that the official investigation would have gone ahead with staff from Galway University Hospital on the team; there wouldn’t be any talk from the top of getting any other bodies than the HSE involved; and the government would use their usual thick neck tactics on any calls otherwise. The investigation would take months, time enough for the sheeple to cool off, and would reflect whatever is the backroom consensus for minimum fuss and change.
The first reaction of the HSE and the government was to move to such an inquiry, but strong and international protests have not left room for prevarication.
Since Savita’s case came to light we have seen Irish women stepping forward to tell of their own harrowing cases. Her death has brought into sharp relief the inaction of successive governments since the Supreme Court ruled on X, when Savita was 11 years old.
Irish governments have form on inaction when courts tell them to do something. The European Court of Human Rights ruled in the ABC case, 18 years after X, that proactive action needed to be taken on the issue of terminations where the life of a mother is in danger. The government kicked the issue to touch, and two years later we’re seeing bits of that report drip-dripped into the media; just another kite being flown on any old issue.
The same European court ruled in 1988 that Ireland’s laws prohibiting homosexuality were unjust, but as with X we were told by successive governments that it was “low priority”. Laws to rectify the situation waited until 1993 to come into force.
The Irish state – almost regardless of which one of our Tweedle Dum, Tweedle Dee parties are in power – dislikes taking culpability for itself, its agents or those it holds dear.
We’ve spent several decades splitting hairs over the full extent of the abuse of children and other vulnerable citizens in church and state care. We’ve had agonising arguments about the minutiae of canon law and how much church management knew, should have known, did or didn’t do. If it had been a matter of international significance then we would have seen dawn raids on parochial houses, instead of victims being told to go and report it to their bishop and see how they get on.
We certainly wouldn’t have footed the bill for redressing the damage done to victims and sent off serial abusers into retirement to live out the rest of their lives in peace and quiet. There probably wouldn’t have been as much hand wringing about what to do with senior clergy who knowingly moved predators after their last parish got wind of their tender ‘ministry’.
During the week the Mental Health Commission published its latest report into St Ita’s, one of our institutions for the mentally ill. The reports have shown a marked improvement in the treatment of the patients in the past two years, noting that patients can now go to the toilet in relative privacy and eat food that isn’t nearly as likely to poison them for lack of hygienic preparation as in 2010.
Unfortunately the patients are still being kept in Victorian buildings that are more prison or dank boarding house than hospital or, for those in long term residence, home.
If there was an international outcry at the fact that we keep sick people in institutions designed at a time when treatment for mental health involved a screwdriver and electrodes, we might do something about it double quick. As it is, the residents of St Ita’s can wait until 2013.
What of children who’ve come to harm in State care? The foreign media has a way about cutting through all the fragrant bull that we spin for the domestic audience. They probably wouldn’t have much time for excuses about social workers who let vulnerable kids slip through the cracks because they couldn’t read the handwriting of the previous case officer, as the report of the Independent Child Death Review Group spelled out in some of the 196 child deaths it investigated. The Irish state sometimes seems to put more effort into tracing farm animals from field to fork than it does missing kids. But then again, we have a major export market in food to keep up.
On a different note completely, when we set out to investigate matters like official corruption we ended up with many years of expensive tribunals, the findings of which have absolutely no basis in law. Nothing. Nada. You’d almost think the boys knew they were going to get found out, and contrived to create an investigation that could do no material harm to them. If they had been ripping off, say, foreign aid to Ireland would it have gone down that way? I doubt it.
Even the financial crisis has brought huge change to the way the Irish government works. Note the publication of semi-realistic economic forecasts from government, the transparency, the changes to the way we do business since the troika arrived. It took driving the economy into the wall and Johnny Foreigner stepping in to alter just some of the bad habits of the Dublin 2 set.
Official Ireland likes to cover its ass. This leads to paralysis and inaction that brings harm to many people. Savita deserves better than a whitewash, and hopefully she will get what she deserves in a full, independent and unobjectionable investigation.
Hopefully too this will shake something loose so that others who have suffered a range of maladies in this country can push for the justice they deserve, rather than the usual slow motion whitewash.
Aaron McKenna is a businessman and a columnist for TheJournal.ie. He is also involved in activism in his local area. You can find out more about him at aaronmckenna.com or follow him on Twitter @aaronmckenna.
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Very true. No Irish citizen would get such consideration ?!? Shameful.
I think so to its more political than for well being..
I’m not being racist but should it have been a Irish person there is no way the government would step in like this and Kenny himself getting directly involved..
The reason such consideration has been given to this case has nothing to do with Savita being a foreign national. It is becaause the worlds media has paid so much attention to Ireland’s backward abortion laws.
The HSE et al wouldve swept this under the carpet quick smart were it not for this attention
well that just about sums up the last 50 years of utter sh1 te that this country has presided over… well said…!!
it’s this view that a majority of Irish people hold and yet we do not have a representative political party…
Christ I wish the likes of a Michael o leary ran for office here and we got used to firing useless staff out of a top window…
I advocate a strong leader is required to sling out the paralysis in the Irish state and bring about the birth of a fresh young Irish state dreamed about by our founding fathers…
Rip them out of their ivory towers and cast them to the wolves and at last put some steel can do attitude to work in Ireland…
que the gombeen govt FG spin doctors… lol
Over 1800 deaths by suicide courtesy of EU Troika Noonan et al since Banker bailouts. No marches, No legislation, No outrage, No Joe Duffy, No HIQA No HSE.
Sean I agree…
As soon as everyone goes to the poles to vote its
“i cant be arsed reading what that other party offers lets just vote FF or FG and keep it safe”
Que another Govt of idiots towing the permanent govt line…..
VOTE SMARTER AND BE SMARTER….
THE IRISH ARE WELL EDUCATED AND YET DONT TREAT THEMSELVES TO A RADICAL LEADER…
Sean what evidence do you have for that claim?
Colm… in all fairness im sure Sean isnt personally blaming troika and noonan but a certain amount of the financial strain felt by irish citizens has certainly led to the unfortunate taking of their lives as a last resort…
Lets see what evidence you can present to show this is all utter nonsense… That should be well worth looking at…
ha ha
No Ian. Sean’s comment was literal. I didn’t (and don’t) claim that the recession and the austerity measures aren’t a factor, but let’s not exaggerate too much either or ignore the other causes of suicide in this country. That was my point.
well i didnt read that but rather they both trying to guess what he meant lets see if he gets back to reply…
I suspect he might be citing this link as his source
http://ipsite.org/1d7t
He does seem a bit agitated about things all right so u might have been correct.. apologies if i was wrong
Ian. That’s fair enough. The CSO is usually very credible. I just think there’s lots of lazy, reactionary commentary here too and that other causes of suicide need our attention also.
Egg. Re. Michael o Leary and a strong leader- don’t confuse efficiency with values. You can have efficiency in the wrong direction- think of Hitler.
colm….
you need to read more…….
goodwins law…
regards
Egg. I am aware of Goodwins Law but when one starts talking about strong leaders and throwing people to the wolves, it sounds like violent imagery to me.
Furthermore Egg I did neither compared your views nor Michael OLeary to Nazis. All I was doing was illustrating the difference between values and efficiency. Michael, is known for the latter, not the former and it was on this basis that I questioned your suggestion as him for leader. Thus Goodwins Law has nothing to do with this discussion.
Colm
It’s all down to money in the end as usual. India is an important emerging export market so the government care about our international reputation and take action. Our own citizens are a drain on the state and disposable
Well said! Being proactive is just something we don’t do!
Its time for people to realise that if you sit back and do nothing, nothing is going to happen for you. We need to protest a lot more about a range of different issues.
Change starts with us all. Let’s take our heads out of the sand, speak up, act! Blaming someone else it’s the easy thing to do…..
Ioana I agree with you. I have been speaking up and acting for many years but all to no avail.
indeed we Irish are good at closing the stable door after the horse has bolted !
We don’t have a horse anymore to bolt.
Just an empty stable.
5 girls died in that horrible bus crash and seat belts were made mandatory on all school buses, 1 year before the crash the Gerry Ryan show was highlighting this danger,the government said it was not practical to install belts to every bus?
Irish people loooove their sound bites…..
I have disagreed with some of Mr McKenna’s articles in the past but this one is absolutely spot on. But the problem comes down to us, the Irish people. We won’t hold our politicians accountable. Look at how FF, the party who caused the recession and all this austerity, who destroyed the Celtic tiger, who plunged us back into 80s levels of unemployment, emigration and poverty, are now the 2nd most popular party in the country. They would likely get into govt if there was an election tomorrow. It is absolutely unbelieveable.
And because we the people won’t hold the politicians accountable, the politicians in turn won’t hold anyone else accountable. There is this culture, accurately spelled out in Mr McKennas article, of laziness, entitlement and ass-covering in our public bodies. Where is the culture of patriotism and genuine public service ?
Excellent article on Official Ireland’s response when it is worried what others think of them #hittingthenailonthehead
Action expected, I am not so sure, will any of the enquiries into Savita’s death point out that our health system is effectively a Monday to Friday office hours system with just enough cover to get by outside of that. I honestly doubt it. Everything that followed was a consequence of that deficiency.
Sean Hyland
You claim that the Troika and Minister Noonan are directly responsible for 1800 suicides as a result of the conditions imposed on us in return for monies lent to Ireland due to an economic collapse.
Sean that is a very very serious accusation . In fact this claim could easily be regarded as monstrous and even mor so since it is completely wrong.
The total number of suicides in Ireland is just over five hundred every year and the rate has seen an increase every year over the last ten. Against this background your accusation is factually wrong.
Much more than this is the damage that you cause people with such an outrageous claim and that damage may extend way beyond your intended targets right into the families and friends of those you want to hurt. It is also highly libelous and even more so because the facts are wrong. It is tantamount to calling an innocent person a child abuser. And Sean it’s so easy isnt it. There you are bored out of your skull and the iPhone in your hand and not a rational thought in your head. Hope you cope with the stress of dealing with the lawyers. I have sent a note to one of Mr Noonans advisors and urged him to take legal action immediately.
@Garry pick up your coffee cup,enjoy the veiws and stop being such a d**khead.:-)
“The state? What is that? Well then! Now open your ears, for now I shall speak to you of the death of peoples. The state is the coldest of all cold monsters. Coldly it lies, too; and this lie creeps from its mouth: ‘ I, the state, am the people.’ It is a lie! It was creators who created peoples and hung a faith and a love over them: thus they served life. It is destroyers who set snares for many and call it the state: they hang a sword and a hundred desires over them. The state lies in all languages of good and evil; and whatever it says, it lies – and whatever it has, it has stolen. Everything about it is false; it bites with stolen teeth.”
NIETZSCHE, FRIEDRICH
The fact that this poor woman was a foreign national wont stop the gang at the top doing anything it takes to wriggle their way out of this. Ultimately if any findings are made against the HSE, a junior doctor and a couple of nurses will probably take the fall. The wealthy, powerful and dishonest will still be in their lofty positions when this is all over!
In my life-time, the only proactive thing I can remember is the smoking ban, how sad is that , always led never leading , could it be the politics of favours and not rocking the boat that enables this inaction, we badly need a list system in this country
Possible complications following abortions are not insignificant.
That’s nothing what so ever to do with this case.
Possible complications of not have an abortion when you know it is the best thing for you are not insignificant either.
I am unconvinced that the deservedly high profile that Savita’s tragic death and circumstances owes anything to nationality, ethnicity, race or religion. If it was an Irish mother and similar facts applied, there might even be greater uproar. There has been a spontaneous, emotional and sincere outburst of anger, frustration and even a sense of betrayal by the lethargy of consecutive governments since 1992.
Thinking and observant members of the electorate who are free of extreme party allegiance or extreme devotion to the Catholic Church understand that our system of government I’d deeply dysfunctional and not adapted to addressing change. The status quo is preferred and maintained. Newly realised areas of injustice or oppression are quickly swept under the carpet.
Lest we forget, and no amount of inappropriate and unsuitable inquiries can transmute the essential facts as known, a pregnant woman in agonising distress was intentionally and persistently refused an induction of early labour, likely life saving, because a non-viable and expiring foetus legally had to be allowed its last heart beats. Why was that? It was because the Galway clinicians hands were manacled by Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution which the Irish people through party political consensus were induced into supporting.
I am in agreement with the main thrust of the article, that governments have to be compelled into accepting the need to legislate for any changes which might have the potential to be unpalatable to the Irish fundamentalists. Look at contraception for goodness sake.
In 1992, the Supreme Court sought to suck some of the toxicity out of Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution by quite contrived judicial reasoning but none of the political parties, with recent exceptions, would touch this urgently needed reform because of losing the support of the fundamentalists. We have a nascent Taliban equivalent in Ireland and the government is timid about alienating them.
Now we all ignore the root cause, the pernicious and life threatening Article 4.3.3 of the Constitution.
We must not be disturbed. So leave your blindfolds on and enjoy the contentment of sport. Circuses for the masses.
I think this article is spot on and there is more of an outcry because she was foreign and international pressure has been put on Ireland to sort out proper legislation once and all.
Excellent, concise and accurately damning article of a lazy and pampered government that appear to not give a toss about the realities of their job or the citizens they are meant to be working for.
What we need is Sinn Fein in power,Then we will see the country rise again. The Senate will be gone for starters then the bond holders will be told to get lost and its uphill after that.
Id like to see an alternative but Sinn Fein…????????
God help us if thats all there is for an option….
If Sinn Fein get into power they will turn into another FF/FG clone so fast your head will spin
Sinn Féin – now that is really crazy.
And then the markets will cut off our money supply and the country will sink into a mess that makes our current one look like a teddy-bears picnic! Sinn Fein can talk a good game because they know there is no chance of them actually having to stand over their policies.
Sinn Fein are in power in Northern Ireland and have maintained an staunchly anti abortion position since getting into power, its likely that had they power in the this country then the abortion issue would become extremely emotive.
Abortion is a personal issue not a legal one, we can legislate till the cows come home, it won’t change a thing. Unless we legislate for abortion on demand, a procedure thousands of Irish woman have every year, we will remain in the land of denial – our banana republic.
Sinn Fein are masters of the blame game but in Northern Ireland they are as pro austerity and as anti abortion as the most fanatical politicans are here. Its easy to be cavalier when you have no chance of being held to account.
We only act when we’re shamed into it?
Jesus, even when we shamed over Savita’s death, we’re still slow to act!
Great article, well written, informative, well referenced,
Great article !
Enda can get a lackie to buy them and claim it as an expense.
@aaron, the author. While I agree with a lot of what you say, from reading the international headlines the week the story broke, the primary concern amongst international press was that they reported that a woman died because she was refused an abortion since ireland is a ‘catholic country’.
I’m not saying that savita’s nationality was not a factor, but it seems to me from reading reports from foreign media, the main outrage had to do with the abortion/ carholic issue. This is extremely emotive.
The reality is that mr halapanavar went public, because according to him, the hse were doing nothing, following savita’s death. Us Irish don’t tend to protest via action. Complain yes but not take action ( though the tide might be turning now, given the increasing number of protests we see) but who knows there could have been more than one savita in the past but no one went public on it. Indeed since this story broke, many Irish women have come forward in the public eye recounting their horror stories on account of our abortion issue.
Has there been a case where the husband of an Irish woman went PUBLIC following a possible death due to termination refusal? I’m sure there hasn’t been because we would know about it. Though you might be able to correct me if I am wrong on this.
The usual approach in Ireland is to litigate instead of seeking public inquiries. Litigation keeps the matter confidential and the HSE will generally insist that any settlements are to remain confidential. In Savita’s case, the litigation option may have been closed off because there was no obvious evidence of medical negligence.
Carol Hunt in today’s Sunday independent focuses on the real issue, which is the pro-life inspired and promoted Article 40.3.3.
Although I don’t fully agree with the entirety of Brenda Power’s article in today’s Sunday Times, she also identifies the cause of the problem, which is bad law which prevents necessary and life saving medical treatment.
I had filed an F o I request insisting on the Expert Report but I see that today’s coverage of the Report by the Sunday Business Post has established the narrow scope of the report being to address the European Court of Human Rights ruling on the A, B and C cases. It addresses the failure to legislate but it does not cover a review of the adverse legal impact of Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution or the urgent need to repeal that pernicious and dangerous provision, which should never have been out before the Irish people in the first place.
It is irrelevant what Savita’s race, creed or nationality were. No woman regardless of any of these factors should have been left at risk as Savita was. Blame the law. Don’t blame medicine.
I hope that next week may bring more humanity and sense to this debate. The vast majority of Irish people hate what happened, not because of international criticism, but because the own innate sense tells them that Sanita was failed and that this horrendous tragedy could afflict any pregnant woman.
Fortunately Savita’s case is uncommon but that is no excuse for inaction.
I say never let the fundamentalists get traction. Because they are vociferous, ruthless, unconstrained by the usual rules and they frighten most politicians, they are given a say and results far beyond their limited number. The Iona Institute, the Life Institute and their various institutes have an influence beyond their numbers, this time, we need the voices such as Irene Kavanagh and may others, Shanti Om etc to be heard.
The life and the health of women should and must be paramount in all circumstances.
It looks like the leaking of the Expert Report, Dr. Peter Boylan’s article, Kitty Holland and her colleague’s excellent and authoritative coverage in the Irish Times may eventually compel Fine Gael to start being very reluctantly responsive to popular will and righteous indignation. Fine Gael has a few zealots or religious fundamentalists in the Party and for Fine Gael doing right has to be secondary to avoiding internal dissension.
Sadly, those Irish fundamentalists will be be at it again. I remember Martyn Turner’s telling cartoon in 1992. It was in 1992 during the x case. The Ayatollahs were reading the Irish Times and observing that those Irish fundamentalists are at it again. So true.
I question, if taken on balance, Roman Catholicism has been good for Ireland.
Then it should be acting everyday.
After getting married in 2001, I and James my (husband) began trying to conceive. “When we first started trying, I was obsessive and bought many pregnancy tests even if I knew my period was coming. “We probably spent hundreds of dollars on tests. We viewed making love as work, and it took the pleasure and enjoyment out of it.” Eventually we went to a specialist and discovered that James had a low sperm count, so we faced the possibility that we may never have children. “I was at the point that I didn’t even want to get out of bed some days. I was so depressed. The Positive: I had a moment of clarity. “I just kept telling myself that when the time was right we would get pregnant. It’s hard, I later order for Priest Eka herbal medication meant for pregnant women to cook as soup and be eating it and much to us was surprise; I got pregnant a few months after getting used of the medication. When you are trying, just ordered for priest Eka herbal medication. Daughter Natalie was born in September 2003. We recently received another surprise: twins due in August, conceived without we even trying. Contact priest Eka on(dreka14demons@gmail.com)..
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