The Savita Memorial 2018
Published on 26th August 2018
In the run-up to the referendum to repeal the 8th Amendment in May 2018, a mural appeared near the George Bernard Shaw pub in Portobello, Dublin. The mural by Aches graffiti artists depicted Savita Halappanavar who died in Galway University Hospital in October 2012 following a septic miscarriage. Ms Halappanavar had requested a termination on more than one occasion but had been refused because of the presence of a foetal heartbeat.
Savita became an inspiration to those who wished to repeal the 8th Amendment – Article 40.3.3 - which recognised the equal right to life of mothers and unborn children. The mural became a focal point for the Repeal campaign as people from Ireland and Europe left post-it notes on the wall paying tribute to Savita. Dublin City Library & Archive photographed some of the messages that were left at the Memorial Wall so that a record of these transient notes might be preserved for future scholars and historians on what was a transformative event in Irish social history.
The Savita Memorial Image Gallery
