Fears raised over rogue agencies’ unproven claims on abortion risk
Taoiseach vowed to regulate crisis pregnancy groups eight years ago
Unregulated crisis pregnancy agencies and religious “retreats” are telling women that if they have an abortion they could become fixated on dolls, suffer mental health problems, be vulnerable to domestic violence, have complications in later pregnancies and may no longer be able to work with children.
A new investigation has raised fresh concerns about the lack of regulation of crisis pregnancy agencies in Ireland.
The Irish Independent has learned that it will be years before such agencies are regulated in Ireland, despite a vow from Taoiseach Simon Harris to crack down on rogue actors eight years ago, when he was health minister.
Last night, RTÉ Investigates broadcast a documentary on abortion services in Ireland, over five years since Ireland’s post-Repeal law came into effect.
The documentary included undercover footage taken at two crisis pregnancy agencies and one “retreat” for women suffering from “post-abortion trauma”. All three are run by anti-abortion campaign groups.
In the footage, a woman was told by one agency that having an abortion could lead to “pre-term” births if they went on to have another pregnancy.
She was also told that she could suffer from regret, depression and that she may seek out a “replacement” baby.
Another agency told a woman that abortion carried serious mental health risks and that she may not be able to continue working with children afterwards.
Undercover reporters also attended a religious “retreat” where women were encouraged to carry around a rock – including in bed or in the shower – to represent how their “pain” never leaves them. Unorthodox counselling sessions showed women being told about the “pain or ache of an empty womb”.
Literature given to women at the retreat suggested there was a link between having an abortion and becoming a victim of domestic violence, as a woman who ends a pregnancy could be more likely to become involved with a violent man, for what “she unconsciously feels is the punishment she deserves”.
It also listed the possible “symptoms” associated with “post-abortion trauma”, including suicidal ideations, hallucinations of an infant crying or becoming obsessed with a doll.
In 2016, a similar investigation by the Ireland edition of The Times also found that unregulated crisis pregnancy agencies were making unproven claims about the risks associated with abortion.
At the time, Mr Harris, who said he was “sickened” at some of the claims, vowed to regulate such agencies. But eight years on, they are still free to operate.
In 2019, a Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board (CPRB) was appointed. The Department of Health said: “The work of the CPRB is significantly more challenging than for registration boards for some of the more established professions, due to the different and complex entry paths into these professions, the variety of titles used, and the variety and number of courses and providers. It is anticipated that the CPRB will require a number of years to complete its work.”