Even if the pregnancy is deemed life threatening, only rarely the permission is granted. Take the case of Ireland. A non-Catholic Indian expat died in 2012 (Savita Halappanavar) after the authorities refused to issue a permission for abortion. It was known to everyone that she would die if the permission was not granted, but the Catholic church refused to stand down.

After her death, the Catholics all over the world rushed to defend the actions of their church, including those in India.