Number of Women Giving Irish Addresses at UK Abortion Clinics Decreases for Eleventh Year in a Row According to UK Department of Health

The HSE Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme (CPP) today, Thursday 11^th July 2013, commented on figures issued by the UK Department of Health which show that there has been a further decrease in the number of women giving Irish addresses at UK abortion clinics.  This is the eleventh successive year that a decrease has been recorded.

Since 2001 the number of women giving Irish addresses at UK abortion clinics has decreased from 6,673 to 3,982 in 2012, a decline of 40% since 2001.  This equates to a decrease in the abortion rate from 7.5 to 4.0 per thousand women aged 15-44 between 2001 and 2012.  

The HSE CPP gathers statistics to examine the patterns of women travelling from Ireland to countries other than the UK for abortion procedures. The Netherlands has emerged as the only other jurisdiction to which women from Ireland are travelling for abortion procedures in significant numbers.  The 2012 figures are not yet available.  Preliminary indications suggest that numbers are low and decreasing. The number of women travelling from Ireland to clinics in the Netherlands was 461 in 2006, 451 in 2007, 351 in 2008, 134 in 2009, 31 in 2010 and 33 in 2011.

Speaking today, Dr Kevin Kelleher, HSE Assistant National Director – Health Protection said: “Since the establishment of the HSE Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme we have seen a sustained decline in the number of women giving Irish addresses at abortion clinics in the UK and in the Netherlands. State funded Crisis Pregnancy Counselling Services that provide women with the space and time to consider their options play an important role in this area. A list of services is available on positiveoptions.ie. It is also important that we ensure that all women are aware that a post-abortion medical check-up and post-abortion counselling is available free of charge to them on their return to Ireland through State funded Crisis Pregnancy Counselling Services.  A list of services is available on abortionaftercare.ie”

 -ENDS-

Issued by:

National Press Office

Health Service Executive

Dr Steevens’ Hospital

Dublin 8

Tel:     01 6352840

Email:   press@hse.ie

Notes to Editors:

1. Figures for women giving Irish addresses at UK Clinic and corresponding rates from 2001 to 2012

2. In 2012, for the first time, the UK Department of Health has released a county breakdown of women giving Irish addresses in UK Clinics.

3. In Northern Ireland early medical abortion became available in limited circumstances in October 2012 at the Marie Stopes Clinic in Belfast.  Subject to the availability of full year data through the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, the Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme will take note of any such data relating to women giving Irish addresses when collating annual abortion figures. 

4. Abortifacients (Abortion pills) are not legally available in Ireland. In Ireland, it is not legal for anyone to supply or receive a “prescription-only” medicine through an online source.  The Irish Medicines Board, in conjunction with the Revenue’s Customs Service and An Garda Síochána, continually monitors and investigates instances of illegal supply of medicinal products in physical  sales and via the Internet and actively enforces against suspected breaches of the law. In 2012, the Irish Medicines Board detained 487 Abortifacient tablets, of which 471 contained Misoprostal and 16 contained Mifepristone. 

5. The Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme has developed a monitoring system to examine the number of women giving Irish addresses at abortion clinics in jurisdictions other than the UK. It continues to monitor data from elsewhere in Europe. The numbers remain low with few women reported to have travelled to other countries. The Irish Contraception and Crisis Pregnancy Study (2010) shows that of all women living in Ireland who have experienced an abortion, 94% of them stated that they travelled to the UK for the procedure.

6. The HSE Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme (formerly the Crisis Pregnancy Agency) is tasked with developing and implementing a national strategy to achieve the following core objectives:

             I.    To reduce the number of crisis pregnancies by the provision of information, advice and contraceptive services.

             II.    To reduce the number of women with crisis pregnancies who opt for abortion by offering services and supports which make other options more attractive.

            III.    To provide counselling services, medical services and such other health services for the purpose of providing support, after crisis pregnancy as may be deemed appropriate by the Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme.

7. Crisis Pregnancy Counselling Services
For information about free crisis pregnancy counselling services funded by the Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme, members of the public can visit positiveoptions.ie or freetext LIST to 50444.

8. Abortion Aftercare Services
For information about free post-abortion medical and counselling services funded by the Sexual Health & Crisis Pregnancy Programme, members of the public can visit abortionaftercare.ie or freetext CARE to 50444.