THE HSE HAS awarded a contract to a counselling service to establish a phone helpline for women experiencing a crisis pregnancy or who have had an abortion.
The contract for the service, worth €820,000, was first put out to tender in June of this year.
One Family, the company that has won the contract, is a registered charity specialising in counselling services.
It’s not yet known what name the service will be promoted under.
The service itself will operate for 20 hours a week for three years, with a review planned after 12 months to gauge its success.
The primary objective of the service “is to provide a national telephone/online counselling service to individuals affected by a crisis pregnancy and to provide post abortion support” according to the original tender.
Freephone
All calls will be made via a freephone number.
One Family, in dispensing information regarding adoption, parenting, and abortion will do so in the guise of a counselling session per the State’s regulations regarding the provision of information to those seeking an abortion in another country.
Abortion remains officially illegal in Ireland bar in certain circumstance governed by the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Act of 2013.
While the country voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution in May, that which equates the life of a mother with her unborn child, no legislation has yet been enacted to enshrine the referendum result in law.
Liberalised abortion services are expected to be available on Irish soil by next January.
3,265 Irish women travelled to the UK for abortions in 2016. Currently, the rate of women who travel stands at nine per day.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say