Police were forced to guard the Irish embassy in New Delhi on Friday night as angry protests mounted over the death of Savita Halappanavar.
According to the Evening Herald, Irish ambassador Feilim McLaughlin was summoned by officials from India's Ministry of External Affairs in order to discuss Dublin's response to the tragedy.
Savita was 17 weeks pregnant when she went to the hospital in Galway, where she was denied an abortion despite the fact she was told she was miscarrying. She died from septicemia seven days after being admitted to the hospital.
Her parents Mahadevi and Andanappa Yalagi have demanded that Ireland amend its laws on abortion to ensure "no more lives are lost."
However, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said he will not be rushed into passing legislation.
"This is a matter that has divided Irish society now for a great number of years and I'm not going to be rushed into a situation by force of numbers on any side.
"This is something that has to be treated rationally and openly and truthfully and that's what will happen."
When asked if he was concerned about the response to the international coverage and outrage over the case, he said: "Well, no more than Irish citizens losing their lives in other countries which has happened in the past, this is always a matter of concern.
"Nobody set out for this to happen and as I say it's important that in the case of this particular tragic circumstance that we get to know the facts and the truth and the accuracy and the precision of what happened here so we can comment on the basis of factual evidence and not hearsay."
On the other hand, Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore, who held private talks with the Indian ambassador to Ireland, Debashish Chakravarti, is adamant that action is required.
Gilmore expressed the need for legal clarity on medical termination and said that doing nothing is "not an option."
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.eiriamach | Dec 01, 2012, 01:32 PM EST
I'll comment on honor killings in India when honor killings in India is the topic of an article, Eamonn. And I have commented on Muslim honor killings on blogs that deal with such issues. TRY to stay on topic, eh? Rather than pouring many, many wearisome, irrelevant words onto the page and making it difficult for others to track the relevant discussion of issues that are crucial to women.
EamonnDublin | Nov 20, 2012, 02:47 PM EST
"Eiriamach" - I would just love to hear you even once condemn "honour killings" in India. Or do they not bother you at all, at all?
eiriamach | Nov 20, 2012, 02:00 PM EST
This case is not about health conditions for women in India, nor is it about racism of the media or Indian taxi drivers. It's about how well Irish law protects the rights of pregnant women. If you think Irish law perfectly protects women's rights, then this case is cause for re-thinking that position. Savita's family think there's reason for change in the laws, and many Irish citizens agree. The Taoiseach wants to wait for more facts, but the Tanaiste urges change soon, regardless of the outcome of investigation of Savita's death. If Mr Gilmore is right that doctors need "legal clarity on medical termination," then he's surely right that "doing nothing is 'not an option,'" and we can only hope that government acts quickly to clarify the rights of pregnant women.
palmeiras | Nov 19, 2012, 04:30 PM EST
These protesters have some gall. They should stay out of the affairs of a sovereign country and do something about the sprawling slums of Calcutta where some of the worst conditions (especially against women) exist. In another article, the hypocritical right wing Indian media mentioned this could be a case of racism; such nonsense. When I lived in New York, I saw Indian taxi drivers pass by African Americans all the time and then pick up other races only yards away. This racism has been well documented on the U.S. media, and rightly so. What happened to Savita was beyond tragic but these Indian nuts should be told where to get off and get their own house in order-in every sense of the word.
EamonnDublin | Nov 19, 2012, 02:36 PM EST
I see a crowd of Indians took time off from their habit of "honour killing" an average of 1,000 (one THOUSAND) innocent young women EVERY YEAR, and went protesting about an accidental and tragic death in Ireland. I also see lots and lots of pregnant Indian women arriving in Ireland each year in order to have their babies here and live happily here. I trust some of them will tell the rabble back home that they don't need their protests, thank you. Éamonn, Dublin, Very Proud to be Irish.
merefalow | Nov 19, 2012, 11:26 AM EST
i am not defending what happened in IRELAND,but how can these women protest about one tragic case when their own third world country operates a dispicable caste system and millions exist in a feudal poverty stricken state,if they want to protest there is no lack of serious issues in their own country to address.
chicksooze | Nov 19, 2012, 10:36 AM EST
Agreed Portia777, its amazing how this whole thing has gotten out of control. As far as I can see its a malpractice case, the doctor will have to answer for it. People see what they want to see.
cillowen | Nov 19, 2012, 10:30 AM EST
nvite them all home - based on those years of pennies for black babies that was poor erin's thruist for years upon years and bono doing his bit to save the world - now bearing much fruit.
Portia777 | Nov 19, 2012, 10:16 AM EST
This was not about abortion. The lady was miscarrying naturally and needed medical assistance, which was denied to her for 3 days.
Murph46 | Nov 19, 2012, 10:08 AM EST
You will protect your Ambassador better than our State Dept.did in Benghazi!
chicksooze | Nov 19, 2012, 09:42 AM EST
How dare they have the NERVE to protest. They need to start protesting about their own primitive laws against women in their own country. Thousands die every day in that country and now there's an outcry over 1 who happened to lose their life tragically in Ireland. Yes it's a tragedy and my heart goes out to Savita's family and friends, but for these hypocrites to start an outcry is pathetic.
Portia777 | Nov 19, 2012, 09:34 AM EST
Eiriamach"The simple fact is that Irish law co-opts control over the bodies of pregnant women" That is totally true because the Roman church run the legal system. Red Mass every year for the beginning of the legal year???? BAR answers to Vatican. Need we say more
eiriamach | Nov 19, 2012, 09:10 AM EST
It's good to know that when the Taoiseach is indecisive, not everyone in government is lost. What happens to women in India cannot be the standard for the care given to women in Irish hospitals. The Tanaiste understands the moral imperative: "Gilmore expressed the need for legal clarity on medical termination and said that doing nothing is 'not an option.'" Doing nothing is precisely what has happened for decades. The government does not need full facts in any particular case to act. The simple fact is that Irish law co-opts control over the bodies of pregnant women. That is an appalling situation in urgent need of change with no further delay.