President of Ireland, Mary McAleese attends special event to mark the transition into the HSE

FOCUS ON CRISIS PREGNANCY SERVICES NEEDS TO CONTINUE
PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY MCALEESE ATTENDS SPECIAL EVENT TO MARK THE TRANSITION OF THE CRISIS PREGNANCY AGENCY INTO THE HSE

Thursday 26th November – The President of Ireland, Mary McAleese was guest of honour at a special event today to mark the transition of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency into the Health Service Executive.

The event was held at the National Gallery, Dublin and was attended by the Agency’s partners, service providers and organisations that have worked with the Agency to address the issue of crisis pregnancy in Ireland. The Crisis Pregnancy Agency was established eight years ago with the support of all the political parties in the country.

Ms Katharine Bulbulia, Chair of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, said the Agency was privileged to have the President as guest of honour at this special event. In its eight years, Ms Bulbulia said the Agency has always underpinned its work with a firm evidence base and had created an accurate understanding of the cause, consequences and potential solutions to crisis pregnancy in Ireland through the publication of 30 research reports.

Ms Bulbulia went on to say that the Agency has, since its inception, made significant progress in addressing an issue which we now know affects 1 in every 5 women aged 15-34. The Agency’s evidence-based approach, together with its commitments to partnership and consultation, has enabled it to bring about improvements on difficult and sometimes contentious issues.

Ms Bulbulia said the Agency monitors the impact of its activities through a number of key indicators. Since the Agency began its work in 2001, the indicators had shown there has been a decrease of 30% in the number of women travelling from Ireland to the UK for abortion.

“Looking back over the past eight years, the Agency has seen and responded to immense cultural changes both technologically in how those experiencing crisis pregnancy look for help and culturally in how crisis pregnancy is viewed by society. Responding effectively to the evolving needs of a changing society will continue to necessitate a concerted focus on research, service development, communications, partnership and evaluation, placing the Agency and its partners in a solid position to respond to the issue into the future,” Ms Bulbulia said.

The transition into the HSE marked a new chapter for the Agency, Ms Bulbulia said, but the Executive was a partner with which the Agency was very familiar as it has collaborated constantly over the eight years.

Laverne McGuinness, Integrated Services Directorate, HSE said “The HSE welcomes the transition of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency into the Health Service Executive. There has been very close collaboration between the HSE and the CPA over the last number of years and this transition will strengthen the partnership arrangements already in place. The HSE looks forward to using the experience and expertise of all the staff involved in developing further crisis pregnancy services across the Integrated Care Areas.”

Ms Caroline Spillane, Director of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency, said the work of the Agency will be a National Programme area in the Integrated Services Division of the HSE. “Integration within the HSE will allow crisis pregnancy services to be co-ordinated and will allow our programmes to be main-streamed across the country improving the coordination of services for those experiencing crisis pregnancy.”

ENDS

For further information contact:

Lorna Farren
Crisis Pregnancy Agency
01 814 6292
087 6289831

Enda Saul
Crisis Pregnancy Agency
01 814 6292
085 7172008

Editor’s Notes

The Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA) was established in 2001 and is mandated to provide for:
A) A reduction in the number of crisis pregnancies by the provision of education, advice and contraceptive services
B) A reduction in the number of women with crisis pregnancies who opt for abortion by offering services and support which make other options more attractive
C) The provision of counselling services, medical services and other health services for the purpose of providing support, after crisis pregnancy, as may be deemed appropriate by the Agency.