Actress Emma Watson writes open letter to tragic Savita Halappanavar

Actress Emma Watson has also written an open letter for Porter about the Irish abortion referendum (PA)

Sorcha O'Connor

Actress Emma Watson has penned an open letter to the late Savita Halappanavar.

The Harry Potter star and human rights activist wrote the letter to Savita, whose death from a septic miscarriage was significant in bringing about the referendum on the Eighth Amendment in May.

Watson has always been a strong voice for women’s rights. As a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, she has been actively engaged in the HeForShe movement since 2014.

The letter appears in a collection published by fashion magazine Porter in its annual Incredible Women list issue.

Savita Halappanavar

Actress Meryl Streep also wrote a letter, stressing the importance of female journalists in the “fake news” era.

Three-time Oscar winner Streep praised the bravery of Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb in October last year after her investigation into money laundering and corruption in Malta.

“We need to protect, defend and thank the current crop of journalists around the world, because they, their scruples and their principles are the frontline defence of free and informed people,” Streep wrote. “Journalists today, investigative journalists, and especially female journalists, are vulnerable and come under a special scrutiny online.

“They must vouch for their stories, put their names on them, and as a result they attract the cowardly, the bullies, the brotherhood of bots and their easily aroused armies of haters.”

Actress Nicole Kidman, US model Karlie Kloss and Nigerian novelist also contribute to the list by writing about their unsung heroines.