Can you please save it — if you can’t, then I can’t take this waiting for the baby to die

A friend of Savita Halappanavar confirmed she was present when controversial and disputed remarks were made by a midwife about the inability to carry out a termination at Galway University Hospital because it was a Catholic country.

Mrudula Vasepalli told the inquest that she had gone to the hospital on Monday, Oct 22, and was told by Mrs Halappanavar that because the neck of the womb was open, there would be an inevitable miscarriage.

The following morning she spoke to Praveen Halappanavar by phone and he told her nothing could be done as the foetal heartbeat was still there. She went to the hospital that morning to be with her friend while Mr Halappanavar drove his wife’s parents to Dublin Airport.