Why hundreds of women are still coming from Northern Ireland and the Republic for abortions despite change in law

‘There are many people who have needed to travel who have been forced to continue unwanted pregnancies,’ says campaigner

Abortion providers argue the fact new figures from the UK Department of Health show 26 women a week had to needlessly travel abroad to have their pregnancies terminated last year demonstrates measures to decriminalise abortion have failed (Getty/iStock)

Hundreds of women were forced to make “heartbreaking” journeys from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to the UK to have abortions despite the procedure being decriminalised in both jurisdictions.

Abortion providers argue the fact new figures from the UK Department of Health show 26 women a week had to needlessly travel abroad to have their pregnancies terminated last year demonstrates measures to decriminalise abortion have failed.

Campaigners warned current laws are not fit for purpose and some women are having to go ahead with pregnancies they do not want due to barriers in accessing the procedure.

The termination of pregnancies became legal in Northern Ireland in October after MPs in Westminster voted by a landslide in July to give women the right to abortion — marking an end to the procedure being banned in almost all circumstances, even rape and incest, and women seeking a termination facing life imprisonment.

But there are not yet any services that provide terminations — meaning women must travel to mainland UK or the Republic.

In the Republic of Ireland, abortion became legally accessible in January 2019, but women there are also regularly forced to travel to England, where abortion is legal for the first 24 weeks of pregnancy compared to only 12 weeks in Ireland.

Emma Campbell, co-chair of Alliance for Choice Belfast, said: “These statistics demonstrate the current law is not working for Northern Ireland. The NI Department of Health must issue immediate guidance to all relevant medical professionals on the availability of care pathways in Northern Ireland and follow-up care pathways.

“We watched recently in Stormont as the same medically unsound and highly emotive language was used in an attempt to water down our own access to care. While abortion care in England is funded for many people, this does not absolve the Northern Ireland Office of their duty to uphold our human rights. We urge the Northern Ireland Office and NI Department of Heath to ensure there is free safe legal and local abortion care in line with the regulations.”

Some 1,389 women gave addresses from both North and South Ireland when having an abortion in England or Wales last year, the new figures show.

Cathie Shiels, who works for Abortion Rights Campaign, said the new abortion figures “demonstrate clearly” to people living in the South the “compassionate care promised by politicians” during the 2018 referendum has not transpired.

Ms Sheils, who is based in Dublin and has been involved in abortion rights for eight years, said: “On the contrary, we have heard heartbreaking stories from those who believed they were entitled to a legal abortion in Ireland being forced to travel. Our new law puts doctors in the position of making impossible distinctions between ‘fatal’ and all other severe, complex, or life-threatening foetal anomalies, distinctions that are not rooted in medicine.

“With the threat of prosecution still hanging over them, many doctors are hesitant to make that distinction and so, as illustrated here by the new figures, many are still forced to travel to access the compassionate care we voted for in 2018.”

Mara Clarke, who set up Abortion Support Network, said we continue to hear from people in both jurisdictions who slip “through the cracks”.

Ms Clarke, whose organisation delivers financial support, accommodation and consultation to women from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain, added: “The people we hear from are increasingly marginalised and at risk, and require higher levels of funding and support than in past years.

“What continues to keep us up at night are the people we don’t hear from — those who are unable to access care locally or who fall outside the guidelines and are not aware that we can support to either pay for an abortion in Ireland if they don’t qualify for care or to help them access an abortion abroad.

“We think even one person having to travel for care is one too many, while also believing there are many people who have needed to travel who have been forced to continue unwanted pregnancies.”

Campaigners from all three organisations called for the government to axe the restrictions around abortions and guarantee “free, safe, legal and local abortion” is accessible for “anyone who wants or needs it” when abortion legislation is assessed in 2021.

If you are based in Northern Ireland and have been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can speak to someone in confidence at the Abortion Support Network by calling 07897 611593 or emailing info@asn.org.uk or you can ring the British Pregnancy Advisory Service on 0333 234 2184. If you are in the Republic of Ireland, you can contact the MyOptions helpline on 1800 828 010 or on 0035316877044 from Northern Ireland.