Hi °C | Lo °C THE death of Savita Halappanavar must be the subject of a public inquiry. The details of the 31-year-old's death, after she was refused an abortion that may have saved her life, have made headlines around the world.
Her death has shamed the country and the circumstances that led to it need to be definitively established.
While politicians grapple with the issue of legislating for abortion in cases where a woman's life is at risk, the public -- and Savita's family -- deserve to know why she died.
The reaction of the health officials to date has lacked urgency.
The HSE and the Galway-Roscommon University Hospitals Group launched probes two weeks after her death and apparently after the case became public.
Such a response does not engender confidence.
An independent public inquiry should be ordered.
The full facts of this tragedy must be established.
