Emma Watson Pays Tribute To Savita Halappanavar In Moving Open Letter

Emma Watson has penned a powerful tribute to Savita Halappanavar in a letter published in the latest issue of Porter Magazine.

The actress said it ‘was a great honour’ to have the opportunity to pay respect to Savita, ‘whose death powered the determination of activists to change Irish abortion laws & fight for reproductive justice all over the world’.

In her letter, Emma wrote:

‘You didn’t want to become the face of a movement; you wanted a procedure that would have saved your life.’

It was a great honour to be asked by @PORTERmagazine to pay the deepest respect to the legacy of Dr Savita Halappanavar, whose death powered the determination of activists to change Irish abortion laws & fight for reproductive justice all over the world. https://t.co/KZWRpp7btO pic.twitter.com/yLDXgcHKyh

— Emma Watson (@EmmaWatson) September 29, 2018

The 28 year old continued, ‘When news of your death broke in 2012, the urgent call to action from Irish activists reverberated around the world – repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Irish Constitution.

‘Time and again, when our local and global communities collectively mourn a tragic death due to social injustice, we pay tribute, mobilise and proclaim: rest in power.’

Emma later goes on to say, ‘I watch the video of you dancing in Galway’s 2011 St Patrick’s Day parade and am moved to tears by your thousand-watt smile and palpable enthusiasm. Sharing their mourning and hope with the world, your family publicly supported the Together for Yes campaign.

‘Celebrating repeal, your father expressed his “gratitude to the people of Ireland”. In reciprocity, I heard Ireland’s repealers say that they owe your family a great debt.’

You can read Emma’s letter to Savita in full here.