Earlier today, the District Court of Ireland ruled that the 17-year-old Irish girl, known as “Miss D,” will not be permitted to travel to the United Kingdom for an abortion, even though her fetus suffers severe abnormalities and will likely die within three days after birth. Miss D petitioned for the right to travel abroad to terminate her 17-week pregnancy while under the custody of the Irish Health Services Executive (HSE). The Irish Examiner reports that, “The judge said that granting the order would amount to a failure to protect the rights of the unborn and would therefore be unlawful and improper.”
HSE, which has been in custody of Miss D since February, will bring a judicial review action against the order. According to the Belfast Telegraph, the order will claim that “the judge misconstrued the law and that [Miss D] should be allowed to travel.”
The case is still being heard in the High Court, where the State is arguing that “no permission from the District Court is needed and there is nothing stopping her from going,” RTE News reports.
