Minister keen to combat services that ‘trick women’ over abortion
THE Taoiseach has said he is ‘sickened’ by rogue crisis pregnancy advice services, with the Health Minister now seeking new measures against ‘false services that are tricking women’ about their abortion rights.
Simon Harris said issues raised in an RTÉ Investigates programme around abortion services in this country require ‘serious consideration’.
However, he gave no commitment on when or if the Government will amend legislation to close the gaps in care which lead some women to travel abroad for a termination.
The RTÉ programme this week revealed the stories of women forced to travel to the UK for a termination when their unborn child had a fatal foetal abnormality but they fell outside the legislative parametres for abortion here.
Barrister Marie O’Shea completed a review last year in which she recommended the removal of a mandatory three-day waiting period between a woman’s initial consultation and her being given access to abortion services.
Ms O’Shea urged the Government to prioritise ongoing issues with the legislation, saying vulnerable women who continue to be forced abroad for terminations are being treated like ‘criminals’.
The programme revealed undercover footage of unregulated services which told women who presented with crisis pregnancies, that motherhood was a ‘gift’ from God and encouraged them to keep the pregnancy until 12 weeks.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said he was very concerned and would see if there was something the Departments of Justice or Enterprise could do to stop these services. He said: ‘I am very concerned about the reports we saw of essentially these false services that are tricking women.’
People Before Profit TD Bríd Smith said Mr Harris made his ‘political name’ as Health Minister during the referendum campaign to repeal an amendment restricting access to abortion in Ireland.
However, she said the Government is now ‘sitting on its hands’ when it comes to further reform.