‘The figures mask the real story’

KERRY PRO CHOICE LOBBY SAY MORE HAVING ABORTIONS THAN IS CLAIMED

AN average of one woman a week is travelling from Kerry to the UK for an abortion according to new figures released by the UK Department of Health.

The UK DoH 2016 abortion statistics show that last year 49 women who provided Kerry addresses underwent privately funded abortion procedures in a UK hospital.

The overall number of women from the Republic who had abortions in Britain fell slightly to 3,265 last year.

This is a drop from 3,451 women and girls who gave Irish addresses at UK clinics in 2015.

The statistics – which were released on Tuesday morning – also show that 240 Irish women aged under 19 had an abortion in the UK in 2016.

Of these 56 were aged 17 or 18 and ten were aged under 16.

Single women accounted for 1,337 of the Irish cases. Almost half of the abortions – 1,597 of all cases – involved women who were married or in civil partnerships

The number of Kerry women travelling to the UK was in line with the average for predominantly rural Irish counties.

The Kerry For Choice Group – who are campaigning for a repeal of the Eighth Amendment to Ireland’s constitution, which recognises the right to life of the unborn – questioned the accuracy of the figures.

“These figures only include those who provided their Irish address. We suspect the real number of Irish women seeking abortions is much higher as many women use the UK address of family or friends. Some women access abortion services in countries other than England or Wales,” said the group in a statement.

Kerry for Choice also claimed that many other Irish women “resort” to using abortion pills which they purchase online.

The purchase and use of these medications is illegal in the Republic, although no woman has ever been prosecuted.

Kerry for Choice are planning to hold a rally in Tralee Town Square this Saturday afternoon, June 17.