RSS
News


Home Page > News > Terminally ill woman refused abortion in Cork hospital

Terminally ill woman refused abortion in Cork hospital

By
MARY SHEEHAN,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Tuesday, December 21, 2010, 5:35 AM
Updated Tuesday, December 21, 2010, 5:48 AM

print this article Print
email this articleE-mail
comment on article 28 Comments
 

Michelle Harte
Michelle Harte
Photo by Irish Times


A woman who was terminally ill with cancer was refused an abortion at Cork University hospital and had to travel to Britain to have the procedure.

Michelle Harte (39) from Wexford told The Irish Times that doctors at Cork University Hospital advised her for medical reasons to terminate her pregnancy but then refused to carry out the procedure.

A previous Irish court judgement had allowed such a procedure where the mother’s life was in danger. However the  ethics committee refused to allow an abortion because they claimed no “immediate threat”.

“I couldn’t believe the decision [to refuse an abortion in Ireland] when it came,” she said.

“Apparently, my life wasn’t at immediate risk. It just seemed absolutely ridiculous.”

She travelled to Britain for the abortion during the summer.

“She was very unwell,” said her partner, Neil Doolan (28) from Wexford. “She was very stressed out, physically very weak, nauseous and vomiting.”

Shortly after she came back her condition worsened. “The delay in having an abortion could well have made my condition worse. It certainly didn’t help,” she said.

“I would hate to see others going through this. It’s so tough when you’re not well to feel like you’re being judged for something which should be a simple procedure.”

​
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


28 Comments

See all comments

DanOLoingsigh | Dec 23, 2010, 05:25 PM EST
London Guardian is reporting today a story that Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix, AZ, has excommunicated the members of the ethics committee at St Josephs Hospital, Phoenix, for allowing a ‘life saving’ abortion on an unidentified woman in her 20’s, after Doctors at the hospital said her risk of death was close to 100% if she continued with the pregnancy?

Report abuse

WoundedKnee | Dec 23, 2010, 09:19 AM EST
sirpeter tells us: "I don't read daily papers,I don't watch TV. I don't listen to the radio." Now I understand why you post the Know Nothing racism you post.

Report abuse

sirpeter | Dec 22, 2010, 09:14 AM EST
@GuinnessGrrl..katiemac's post holds alot of truth.Do some study and then use some of your own logic.Nice wording using Anti-Choice.Both can play at that game..Lets call it what it really means..Pro-Killing of a baby and Anti-Killing of a baby.

Report abuse

Pittsburghkid | Dec 21, 2010, 10:44 PM EST
That is the reason for England. What other purpose does England have to exsist? She wasn't too sick to get pregnant. A woman's life being rediculous is no reason to kill a baby in the womb. Although her womb is no place for a baby, but God works in mysterious ways. She could put the baby up for adoption.

Report abuse

sirpeter | Dec 21, 2010, 07:28 PM EST
mayoman..I didn't miss the point,I understood the article fully and so did you.But i knew the knee-jerk reaction this article was going to get by people here who didn't understand it fully.There was pro-Abortion posts here and i took an anti-Abortion stance with my posts to counter-act that. She was advised to undergo an abortion out of medical necessity and the ethics committee refused,because the law states their must be an immediate threat to the women.I don't see anything wrong with that picture..a line has to be drawn somewhere and it's not about emotions or the poor women she should be allowed have an abortion in Ireland.If she waited,and i understand how difficult her life is,she might have got her abortion anyway.People don't understand the bigger picture and don't fully understand how damaging abortion is to society as a whole.If you read my posts why i am anti-abortion,you will see my reasons.My anti-abortion stance is protecting women from a society that places women in a position where they feel they have no choice but to abort their baby.It is not natural for a women to feel she has to take the life of her unborn child.The failure lies on the construction of that society and it's failure to support fully the woman and her child.. financially and have them both comfortable without fear that they won't be able to cope.This is paramount above all else in society,nothing is more important then the welfare of mother and child.History has shown that it is the women and children who have suffered most at the hands of men and that society which is STILL run by men is just another way of degrading women by pretending it is women who have the choice on abortion,when it is men who have maneuvered them into the position in the first place.

Report abuse

GuinnessGrrl | Dec 21, 2010, 06:58 PM EST
@katiemac: Nowhere in this story does it say "What the doctors told this woman was that she could defer chemotherapy until after the pregnancy without any adverse effect." All those "facts" you give about the effects of terminating a pregnancy on a woman seem to be a litany of what the Anti-Choice groups say, which have all been disproven.

Report abuse

gregwb57 | Dec 21, 2010, 06:50 PM EST
I feel sorry for her and her boyfriend, now there child is gone. I am sorry but if she was my girl friend I would of encoureged her to bring the baby to term, she is going to die soon anyway so why make it worse with two deaths?. Greg

Report abuse

mayoman | Dec 21, 2010, 05:58 PM EST
sirpeter: You miss the point, sir. The real issue here is the health of this lady. Not abortion. She was pregnant, and presently has terminal cancer. Please note that she was advised "for medical reasons to terminate her pregnancy." This article is neither encouraging, nor condoning abortion, but rather it attempts to relate the story of an unfortunate situation in which an ill woman is advised to undergo an abortion out of medical necessity, but is then denied that procedure by the ethics committee of the very same hospital. Obviously there is something wrong with this picture. I personally regret this lady's suffering and ordeal. And I can only hope that the hospital is soon able to reconcile its apparent contradictions.

Report abuse

sirpeter | Dec 21, 2010, 03:13 PM EST
mayoman..Why go into all that!!..When you can have it one-sided to make it a tragic story in favour of pro-Abortion.

Report abuse

mayoman | Dec 21, 2010, 02:57 PM EST
Were the members of the hospital ethics committee attempting to legally cover themselves at this poor woman's expense? Or were they acting correctly, in accordance to law, and/or legal precedent, as well as in good faith? We can't say for sure, because we aren't told what specific legal and ethical criteria the committee was obliged to adhere to. Another problem, as I see it, is that while we are privy to this lady's point of view, there is no statement whatsoever from the hospital in response. A bit more information and balance would have helped us all better understand the issues involved in this case. This, by the way, is a persistent problem with IrishCentral's reporting as I see it. In an effort to be brief, and to assert an attitude, or an opinion, (and often a hasty opinion not necessarily supported by the facts that are provided), the writers often fail to render as comprehensive a story as they might otherwise. The remedy? More facts and a stronger effort to achieve greater balance.

Report abuse

mrkennedy | Dec 21, 2010, 02:47 PM EST
Monaghanjack: Jesus was celibate and he made the rules that affect women but he knew nothing about women so I guess the rules he established through the Catholic Church are silly!!!

Report abuse

sirpeter | Dec 21, 2010, 01:24 PM EST
@Portia777..Read your first post..Let me tell you this, I'm not an easy person to brainwash.I am not a church goer,I don't read daily papers,I don't watch TV.I don't listen to the radio.But i do listen to what people say on this site and other forums,it gives me an insight to what the ordinary people are thinking and how THEIR brainwashing is going.I read the pro's and con's raised by those who have the best experts in any field that i read.I read both sides of the argument in depth.Then I make a decision on the argument that carries the most weight,knowing mostly that it is not perfect and has certain weaknesses.YOU said i focused on the money rather than the sovereign human being..That is incorrect..The weakness in that statement is..IT IS A FACT OF LIFE that in any health system MONEY CAN BE THE DIFFERENCE between life and death.Americans know this more then most people in first world countries.If you want to comment and i have no problem if you disagree,at least understand fully what i'm saying.

Report abuse

antoman | Dec 21, 2010, 12:37 PM EST
Spare a thought for doctors too.Who must insert a meat grinder into the woman and then a hoover to suck out the bits and pieces.I imagine its not every doctor who would willingly perform such a service.We voted no the last time.

Report abuse

sirpeter | Dec 21, 2010, 12:26 PM EST
@Portia777..I don't know your age,but the Irish people did get to vote on abortion.Yes..and BOTH..Read that again BOTH Catholic and Protestant churches were against abortion.I'm sick of people thinking we are ruled by Rome..You know people do have minds of their own.The falling church numbers should show a hell of a lot of people don't give a damn about Rome and what it says. Basic human instinct tells me I don't want a law that empowers anybody to have the right to decide who lives or dies...UNLESS the other person is an immediate threat to the life of another human being.It's a good law!!but every law that is made... is not going to work for everybody.The beliefs of the many out-weight the beliefs of the few.It will be a sad day if Ireland sanction abortion on demand.Abortion on demand is the destruction of the weakest in society..so whose the next weakest?..we already have partial birth abortion..Maybe parents should have the right to look the new born baby over first like a new car to see will they kill it or not.Wise up and Wake up people.Be careful what rights you fight for and what laws you vote for,because if governments and economics had their way.They could find alot of people out there that they think are expendable.

Report abuse

Dublinjas | Dec 21, 2010, 11:18 AM EST
There are many things about this story disgusting.

Report abuse



IrishCentral logo
"Like" IrishCentral
IrishCentral Mobile QR code


Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or Sign-Up directly

Already Registered? Sign-In!

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Already Registered? Sign-In!
Forgot my password

Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password
Not a member? Register Now!
submit to reddit
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail