While orthodoxy and holding on to principles in the basis ofthe Catholic Church, the tragic death of Savita Halappanavar has brought intosharp focus the need of the Church to draw from its own principles and pathsestablished by its theological scholars and in fact even the Pope.
While religious belief can never ride over the need to savea life, even at the cost of terminating a pregnancy where miscarriage hasoccurred, the Church in Goa should have at the very least issued a statementexpressing grief at the death of Savita and condoled the family. The reasonsare not far to seek. It’s a death of a girl from Belgaum, a town with which Goahas a daily connect. Moreover her death could have been avoided, but was notbecause doctors in the Catholic country of Ireland, citing Catholic beliefs andprinciples, said they could not terminate the infected foetus even at the riskof harming the mother. The Church may choose to look away but many of those whocome to the Church of blessings and guidance are seeking answers.
While the law of the land prevails in democratic India, theteachings of the Church is the guiding path for almost all Catholics. And thatis why Savita’s death cannot be seen a distant matter with which the Church inGoa has no connect.
The Church also needs to do a reality check periodically.With Twitter and Facebook, the outrage of men and women against the doctors wholet Savita die, has been brought to Goans live. This outrage cannot becontained by distance, time or boundaries. A message from the Church sayingthat the faith had made provisions for cases such as this and Savita, anon-Catholic, but nevertheless a child of God, didn’t need to die, would havecalmed many restless minds here in Goa.
At another practical level, this is a case of sheer medicalnegligence, which an expert committee will probe into. Let us hope and praythat this committee acts impartially and not just gives closure and justice toSavita’s family but send a clear message that the first duty of doctors is tosave lives that can be saved – In Ireland, India or anywhere else in thisworld.
