Irish laws

I don't know if it was reported in your Country, but there has been a tragic episode here in Ireland recently. A woman, 17 weeks pregnant, is admitted to hospital with contractions. She is found fully dilated and waters leaking. She is told she is going to lose the baby as he's too small.
The miscarriage is not happening fast, she is in great pain and her health conditions quickly worsen. She repeatedly asks for termination as this is horrendous. This is denied to her as in Ireland abortion is illegal and the foetus still had a heartbeat. Eventually the baby dies, she is rushed to theatre, but never recovers. An infection has set in and she dies three days later.

I will be 17 weeks tomorrow and this has shaken me down to the core.

For the last 20 years the Government has avoided legislation in this field. It is clear, legally, that if the life of the mother is in serious danger, termination can be performed. Take ectopic pregnancies for example. I know well I have been treated and treated effectively. But it's the term "serious" which is completely subjective.

Late miscarriages do happen, they are not too frequent thankfully, but they do happen. Not always the life of the mother is at risk obviously, but why why why doctors were not allowed to intervene to put an end to that poor woman's misery...there is no doubt that an earlier intervention would have saved her life. She was well upon admission, had no fever and no sign of infection. She was left 3 days suffering, uterus open and miscarriage just not happening. Apparently she was on antibiotics, but either they weren't strong enough or the infection spread too quickly once set in.

Nobody here is saying the doctors left her to die, I personally think that the judgement call was a very difficult one, it's not like they can foresee an infection, but can you imagine how horrific it is to be left "doing it on your own" when it's certain there is no hope for the baby? I mean, it's not like she was 23 weeks along and they were hoping she would make it to viability. 17 weeks people. 17. Fully dilated and with contractions. She wasn't treated to stop contractions, doctors knew there was no hope.

She was an Indian woman, a dentist, who travelled to Ireland with her husband (an engineer) as they thought it was a great place to have a family. I suspect the fact they were both educate made even more the news, though this is terrible to say.

I'm of course easily impressionable, now I think this can happen to me, I would just have to hope it doesn't and that if it does please God the doctors will be wiser.