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375 Irish women and girls accessed abortions in UK last year

Abortion services became available in Ireland in January 2019
Abortion services became available in Ireland in January 2019

Figures from the UK's Department of Health and Social Care have shown that 375 women and girls from the Republic of Ireland accessed abortions in England and Wales last year. 

In 2018, the number of Irish women travelling to England and Wales for abortions was 2,879, which was down on the figure of 3,019 in 2017.

Abortion services became available here in January 2019. 

In 2019 there was an 87% decrease in the number of women and girls that provided Irish addresses in UK clinics. Of those, 17% (65) were less than ten weeks gestation. 

The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) says the figures show that "not everyone in Ireland who needs abortion care can access it here at home", because their pregnancy falls outside the law or because care is not accessible locally.

Its chief executive Niall Behan says the women and girls are from every county in Ireland.

The IFPA says the new government must ensure that the 2021 review of the abortion law focuses on "enhancing access to abortion care" so that no one is left behind.

The Abortion Rights Campaign and Abortion Support Network has said that the figures from the UK Department of Health demonstrate that the "compassionate care" promised by politicians during the 2018 referendum has not materialised. 

The Pro-Life Campaign has said that the sharp reduction in the number of women travelling to England for abortions comes as "no surprise".

It says the "impact of the new abortion regime" will become clearer when today's figures are added to the number of abortions that took place in Ireland in 2019.