Press Release for Immediate Release

From: Alliance for Choice, the Abortion Rights Campaign & Abortion Support Network17/03/2020

Across the Island of Ireland, we are coming to terms with social distancing, and the huge additional burden that will be placed on our healthcare systems due to the virus. In hope of easing that burden, while also ensuring everybody can access the healthcare they require - we want to highlight the option of telemedicine abortions. Legislation to allow telemedicine and home use of both abortion medicines needs urgent consideration before our health services come under severe pressure.

Current practice means abortion seekers meet a clinician in person: Telemedicine patients can meet with a clinician by secure video conference platform. Studies show that outcomes for medication abortion provided through telemedicine are comparable with standard provision of medication abortion. Telemedicine facilitates patient-centred care by allowing patients to be seen sooner without having to visit their GP surgery.

Cathie Shiels, co-convenor for Abortion Rights Campaign said,

We wish to express our concerns regarding abortion provision in Ireland, North and South, during this emergency period we are now entering. We are concerned that a 30 day travel ban will have long lasting consequences for people on this Island who have, until now, been able to rely on travelling to Great Britain to access services denied to them here.

Those impacted the most will be people who need access beyond a 12 week gestation, and their situations will include those whose Medical Abortions failed, pregnancy related illness, victims of sexual crimes, domestic violence, those who have had a diagnosis of a Foetal Abnormality where Ireland will not legally treat and Northern Ireland are still unable to provide services as we await regulations from the Northern Ireland Office.

Emma Campbell, Co-Convenor of Alliance for Choice Belfast added,

We call on our legislators to class travel to access abortion services as ‘essential travel’ during this period to ensure those who need access to abortion after the 12 week cut-off point be able to travel to Great Britian. We would urge abortion providers to recognise the risk to life and health that those with the virus are facing, and work with them to ensure the best standard of care.

This medical crisis reveals the failure of the services we have on this Island. It is clear that any provision requiring travel can quickly become an insurmountable barrier.

ENDS

Cathie Shiels, Abortion Rights Campaign +353873398233

Emma Campbell, Alliance for Choice +447894063965

Mara Clarke, Abortion Support Network +44 7913 353530-----------------------------------

Signatories: Alliance for Choice Derry, Cork Rebels for Choice; Galway Pro-Choice; Leitrim Abortion Rights Campaign; Offaly Abortion Rights Campaign; North Kildare Together for Yes; Mayo Pro-Choice; Donegal Abortion Rights Campaign; Drogheda Abortion Rights Campaign; Tipp for Choice

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Notes to Editors

Examples of Abortion Support Network Clients presenting past 12 weeks gestation:

“Please call me back, I am 12 weeks pregnant and I don’t have any money and I can’t have it done in Ireland.”

A woman who had to wait 2 weeks to get a dating scan in Ireland. She also didn’t have a passport, which restricted which airlines she could travel on.

The mother of a pregnant 16 yo who didn’t discover the pregnancy until past 12 weeks. While they were initially able to raise €1000, they were charged €700 for an ultrasound scan in Ireland, leaving them €300 towards the abortion and travel.

A young woman from Ireland who was refused an abortion as she was scanned at 12 weeks, 3 days. When she arrived at the clinic in England, with ASN’s financial support, she scanned at . . . .9 weeks 4 days.

Sources:

Horgan, G., Gray, AM and Morgan, L (2019), Developing Integrated Sexual & Reproductive Health Services in N. Ireland https://www.ark.ac.uk/ARK/sites/default/files/2019-12/policybrief14.pdf
Abigail RA Aiken & Fiona Bloomer - LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin, School of Applied Social and Policy Sciences, Ulster UniversityAbortion decriminalised in Northern Ireland; People and policy makers must now design a truly patient centred service
Aiken A, Gomperts R, Trussell J. Experiences and characteristics of women seeking and completing at-home medical termination of pregnancy through online telemedicine in Ireland and Northern Ireland: a population-based analysis. BJOG 2017;124:1208-15. 10.1111/1471-0528.14401 27748001
Aiken ARA, Padron E, Johnson D, Broussard K. The impact of Northern Ireland’s abortion laws on women’s decision-making and experiences accessing abortion. BMJ Sex Reprod Health. 2019;45:3-910.1136/bmjsrh-2018-200198.
9 Aiken ARA, Digol I, Trussell J, Gomperts R. Self reported outcomes and adverse events after medical abortion through online telemedicine: a population based study in Ireland and Northern Ireland. BMJ 2017;357:j2011. 10.1136/bmj.j2011 28512085
Julia E. Kohn, PhD, MPA, Jennifer L. Snow, MSc, Hannah R. Simons, DrPH, Jane W. Seymour, MPH, Terri-Ann Thompson, PhD, and Daniel Grossman, MDMedication Abortion Provided Through Telemedicine in Four U.S. States