Dublin, Nov. 18 (ANI): Protestors held rallies in the Republic of Ireland in memory of Indian woman, who had died last month after being denied an abortion, calling for changes to Irish abortion law.
31-year-old Savita Halappanavar had died at a Galway hospital last month. Her family claimed she was repeatedly refused a termination during a miscarriage.
According to the BBC, the largest demonstrations took place in Dublin and Galway on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Irish police have confirmed they are assisting the coroner in relation to Halappanavar's death.
A police spokesperson said that this was 'standard procedure in the case of a sudden death'.
The Indian national, who was 17 weeks pregnant with her first child, died at University Hospital, Galway on 28 October.
On Saturday, more than 4,000 people marched from Dublin's Garden of Remembrance to the Irish parliament, where a candle-lit vigil and one minute silence was held, the report said.
In Galway, up to 1,000 people took part in a vigil in Eyre Square in the centre of the city while separately, about 60 members if the Indian community gathered outside the hospital and held two minutes of silent prayer.
According to the report, smaller demonstrations were also held Ennis, Clonakility, Kilkenny, Sligo, Limerick, Carlow and Letterkenny.
Her widower, Praveen Halappanavar, said that his wife had accepted she was losing her baby and made several requests for a medical termination.
However, he claimed that doctors refused her plea because there was a foetal heartbeat.
Halappanavar said that the hospital staff told them Ireland was 'a Catholic country' and denied the abortion.
In recent days, demonstrations over the case have been held in Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Londonderry and the Irish embassies in Delhi and London, the report added. (ANI)