Miss D refers to an

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pre ...

case in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, Amy Dunne was a girl who wanted to travel to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

for an abortion. Her identity was kept private at the time, and she was referred to only as Miss D. Amy Dunne was a teenage girl who became

pregnant Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...

while under HSE care in 2007. A scan of the foetus showed it suffering from

anencephaly Anencephaly is the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp that occurs during embryonic development. It is a cephalic disorder that results from a neural tube defect that occurs when the rostral (head) end of the neural tube ...

. This fatal foetal abnormality means the baby would not live for long outside the womb. Dunne wanted to travel to the

for an

, since abortion in Ireland was 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 (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace"), more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards", is the national police service of Ireland. The service is headed by the Garda Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Gove ...

asking them to stop her travelling. Since the

Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland The Thirteenth Amendment of the Constitution Act 1992 (previously bill (law), bill no. 25 of 1992) is an Amendments to the Constitution of Ireland, amendment to the Constitution of Ireland which specified that the protection of the right to life ...

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

References

2007 in the Republic of Ireland Abortion in the Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland abortion case law Political scandals in the Republic of Ireland {{law-stub

See also

References