Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Miss D

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Miss D refers an abortion case in Ireland, she was a girl who wanted to travel to the United Kingdom for an abortion. Her identity has been kept private, and she is referred to only as D.

Miss D was a teenage girl who became pregnant while under HSE care in 2007. A scan of the foetus showed it suffering from anencephaly. This fatal foetal abnormality means the baby would not live for long outside the womb. D wanted to travel to the United Kingdom for an abortion, since abortion in Ireland is very heavily restricted. The HSE attempted to stop her going, from falsely telling her they had a court order preventing her from travelling, and would resort to physically restraining her if needed, and writing to the Garda Síochána asking them to stop her travelling. Since the Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland in 1992, it has not been illegal to travel outside Ireland for an abortion.

A High Court judge ruled that she had the right to travel to the UK, and strongly criticised the HSE's handling of the case. The HSE was ordered to pay costs, which were estimated at up to €1 million.

She had a surgical, not medical, abortion in the UK. The HSE refused to state if they paid for the abortion.

References

Miss D Wikipedia