( CNN ) -- The husband of an Indian dentist whose death sparked anger over Ireland 's abortion laws told an inquest on Monday that her requests for a termination for her miscarrying fetus had been denied . Praveen Halappanavar told the hearing in Galway that he was told that because Ireland is a Catholic country , an abortion could not be done while the fetus was still alive . He was one of the first witnesses to give evidence at the inquest , which is expected to last several days . The death of Savita Halappanavar at University Hospital Galway on October 28 prompted anger in Ireland and elsewhere and sparked demands for Ireland to introduce new abortion laws . Doctors and nurses from the Galway hospital are also due to testify at the inquest . Praveen Halappanavar said as he arrived at the courthouse that he hoped the inquest would get to the truth . He has previously said that his wife was advised her unborn baby would likely die , and that she was in extreme pain . Savita , 31 , went into the hospital on October 21 , complaining of back pain . She was 17 weeks pregnant at the time . Three days after the request for a termination was made , the fetus died and was removed . Four days later , Savita died of a blood infection . The coroner , Dr. Ciaran McLoughlin , opened the hearing with a promise to Halappanavar to help find out what happened to his wife . An inquest by a coroner is standard procedure in cases of sudden , unexplained or unnatural deaths in Ireland . Opinion : If Ireland had abortion rights . Strict laws . The couple , who married in India , had moved to Ireland four years before Savita 's death and were excited to be starting a family , Praveen Halappanavar told CNN last year . He said the family was left stunned and grief-stricken by her death . `` Every single person in the family asked me , 'How could this happen in a place like Ireland in the 21st century ? ' -- because it was just so simple , '' he said . `` When they knew the baby was not going to survive , why not think about the bigger life , which was the mother , my wife , Savita ? And they did n't . '' A number of inquiries were set up by Irish authorities after Halappanavar died , including one by the Health Service Executive . The Health Service Executive report has not yet been published but details of the draft text have been leaked to the Irish media . The Irish government plans to introduce new abortion legislation by the summer . Minister of Health James Reilly announced late last year that the proposed changes would clarify that abortions are permissible when the life -- but not just the health -- of the mother is at risk . That would bring the country 's laws in line with a 1992 Irish Supreme Court ruling that established a woman 's right to abortion when her life is at risk , including by suicide . CNN 's Nic Robertson contributed to this report .
NEW : Indian dentist was denied abortion for her miscarrying fetus , her widower says . Savita Halappanavar says he hopes the inquest will get to the truth of his wife 's death . Savita Halappanavar died the summer of blood poisoning , the summer . The Indian government is to introduce new abortion laws by aged 31 .