Following the death of a woman who was a resident of Ireland in a taxi in London following an abortion procedure at a Marie Stopes clinic, Children's Minister Frances Fitzgerald has issued a statement calling the incident a "traumatic and dreadful tragedy," according to the Irish Examiner.

Fitzgerald said that the government is as yet unaware of the details of the particular case and the woman's individual medical circumstances. "It's a tragic story and a tragic outcome for that young woman," the minister said. "We clearly must have all of the facts outlined in relation given the fact that the woman travelled from Ireland and died in a taxi in England."

She went on to remind women that aftercare is available to women who return after an abortion abroad.

The Pro Life campaign has said that this case "raises major questions about the safety of abortion." Spokeswoman Cora Sherlock says that "this tragic story is not the first incident of a life-endangering situation involving an Irish woman at a Marie Stopes clinic."

Considering that the unnamed woman traveled to London for her abortion, there are those in Ireland who believe that it is necessary now more than ever to have abortion clinics available in the country.

Pro Life
advocates say that, "The Irish media must now call abortion providers to account rather than allowing them to distract from this woman's death by pretending that abortion clinics in Ireland are the solution."

The cause of the woman's death has been determined to be a heart attack after she suffered heavy internal bleeding.

This was not the woman's first pregnancy - her husband, who has remained anonymous, spoke to the Irish Times about his wife's delivery of their first child, and how it was made complicated by extensive fibroids.

The couple was told that the treatment of the condition could leave her infertile. "We were worried what would happen when she became pregnant again," he said. "She was sick, but we were told nothing could be done in Ireland."