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LAST YEAR, 25 legally-permitted abortions were carried out in Ireland, according to figures from the Department of Health.
The third annual report on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 has been handed to the Houses of the Oireachtas today as required under section 20 of the Act.
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Of that total number, the procedures were carried out for a range of reasons:
8 procedures were due to a risk of physical illness
1 was due to a risk from suicide
16 were carried out because of emergencies arising from physical illnesses.
Estimates indicate, however, that around 3,500 Irish women travel to the UK every year to terminate their pregnancies – other estimates indicate it could be a third higher than that number.
According to the Department of Health, 26 terminations were carried out in 2015.
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This has always been the case in Ireland.
In the overwhelming majority of instances of women travelling abroad to procure an abortion there is no real threat of physical illness rather it is a matter of choice.
@Tommy Browne: but sure we’ll ignore the effects on their mental health shall we?
Sure its only mental health….it doesn’t seem to matter to many people in this country.
Forcing a women with a FFA (fatal fetal abnormality) to go to term is torture for any women that doesn’t want to go to term, but in this country unless she travels she’s forced to do just that. Completely ignoring the mental health of the women and any partner.
@Lisa Dorothy:
Just making a clarification between the two groups lest people be deceived into thinking all women travelling abroad were being denied on health grounds.
An ethical distinction.
@Dave O Keeffe: Correct! One of the worst things that can happen to a human being,is their liberty being taken away.Ask anyone that has ever been sectioned and they will tell you that ..
@Barry Somers: what about the mental health of those listening to the masses telling them it’s grand, their choice and dealing with the regret after? I’ve met several! I also know of the FFA cases told by the doctor to go have a termination and thankfully opted not to…… Although there may be a syndrome (far from a fatal fetal abnormality she was told he’d have!) he’s the happiest kid ever! How many are wrongly told to go to England!?
@Tommy Browne: You have an opinion and you are welcome to it. Of course the women and girls who have to face real life issues and decisions are more than welcome to ignore you and your opinion. They can also ignore the law here if they can afford to travel.
Do you defend such a worthless policy Tommy?
@Rowe: Have you been triggered hun ? Moi “pro Death”? Nah! I’m a father to five beautiful children.Did I ever tell you this ? Well,now you know.So that makes me very ‘pro life’,yes ? “Feck the unborn” <- How does one do that Rowe? Have you tried something in your little head while it was resting on it's pillow ? You're one sick puppy :-)
@Francis Mc Carthy: if the so called “pro-life” crowd got their way we wouldn’t even have these exceptional abortions, in that situation it would be just hard luck for the person on the verge of suicide.
Meanwhile we continue to export the issue to the UK instead of providing proper support and medical care for women in Ireland by giving them a choice.
@Barry Somers: They said that the ‘flood gates would open’ if abortions for suicide came in…Well according to those numbers,just one woman had an abortion for that reason…Then again,why would anyone want to sit in front of two psychiatrists ?
@Al O’Saurus: Maybe when it’s finally made available here, they’ll stop with abortion articles. Maybe then we can all finally move on to the next big issue & get the sorted, whatever it might be.
I’m all for the journal repeatedly printing abortion articles. It means we are still a country that says no to murder.
Hopefully we see these articles for the remainder of our lives.
Side note, saw somebody above say ‘you should be aborted’
Wonder how many of us wouldn’t be writing replies on here if their parents had the right to an abortion in the 80′s. Funny old game isn’t it.
@Chris Kavanagh: and if I was aborted then it would be fine. I wouldn’t be here to be worried about it.
I love my mother & I trust it was the right decision for her & my father to make.
I never understand this argument about how would I feel if I was aborted. I’d feel fine! I wouldn’t be here, and that would be just fine.
@Abbi Cranky: didn’t ask how anybody feels about it. Also, if aborted, You couldn’t be fine with it..You would cease to exist.
The love you feel for your mother is because you DO exist.
@Chris Kavanagh: How many of us wouldn’t be writing replies on here if our parents didn’t make that journey to the UK and opted not to have that abortion and ended up living a miserable life,without having anymore children too ..Yawn..
@Abbi Cranky: No woman should have access to a safe, legal abortion.They should all be forced to give birth,because men like Chris & Brian,they know what is best for her.And if they end up with a severe disability or even “god” forbid ,they died because of the pregnancy,then it was all worth it.The foetus survived .Phew!
@Francis Mc Carthy: killing unborn babies is murder in my opinion. In many people’s opinions. In many countries. Which is clearly why there are these debates. You understand difference of opinions and the freedom to express them, yes?
@Francis Mc Carthy: ‘men like chris’ can you elaborate on this?
I must admit, I have no idea why I should have a discussion with you. Your Facebook is full of stupid memes about politics then you come on here acting high and mighty while putting people down. Gig is up pal, I see what you are about.
@Chris Kavanagh: you asked how many of us wouldn’t be here, effectively trying to pull on the same emotional string as a basis for an argument.
And whatever choice my mother ever wants to make is exactly that: her choice. It was her choice to bring me into the world & she’d have been equally entitled to not bring me into the world.
@Chris Kavanagh: You are entitled to your opinion Chris, and those actually facing decisions are entitled to ignore you. Unless you believe your comments here are going to change the law I suggest you’re just another frusrated individual wasting your time. Perhaps your energies would be better spent lobbying poloticians, or refining your arguments in such a way as to actually convince someone to change their mind rather than throwing slanderous labels around.
@Chris Kavanagh: I’ve just read some more of your comments Chris. You appear to be a deeply frustrated individual. Unfortunately posting on comments pages like this isn’t going to help. For the most part people on comments sites are not there for a real exchange of views. The game is exchanging insults from anonymous safety.
It has always been the case that when a woman’s life is in danger it is legal and ethical to terminate the pregnancy. This is not considered to be an abortion but a necessary procedure to save her life.I know because it happened to me . During these rare emergencies what is most important is the skill and expertise of the obstetrician and his team to make quick decisions as time is not on their side.
Don’t you know that women and girls are suppose to sacrifice themselves on the altar of sacred motherhood. Women and girls cease to be people and their rights are reduced to that of a zygote once they’re pregnant.
@DaisyChainsaw:
The majority of mothers do not consider that having children is a burden , in fact the opposite is the case , their children bring them endless joy and happiness. In Ireland we have wonderful families who look out for each other in good times and bad.
@Jeremy DeChad: So Jeremy, you have case knowledge of all past and future pregnancies involving suicidal women?
You must be very pleased with yourself indeed.
If an Irish patient has a hip replacement in a German hospital are they considered Irish or German?
It’s the same with abortions, regardless of your opinion of the matter. Thousands of Irish women have them every year, but not in Ireland, the majority choose the UK. This is a fact, and your opinion will not change it.
Thousands of Irish women have abortions each year, a small amount have them in Ireland.
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