No abortion access in eight counties
EIGHT counties still have no access to abortion services – almost three and a half years after legislation was passed giving women the right to avail of termination facilities.
The HSE this weekend confirmed that women seeking an abortion in Kerry, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Wexford, Donegal, east Galway, Cavan, Monaghan and Laois all have to travel outside of their local areas to avail of services.
Sligo University Hospital only started providing services last month. It means just 11 hospitals out of the country’s total of 19 public maternity units offer pregnancy termination services.
New research funded by the World Health Organisation published last month found Irish clinicians’ conscientious objections and a combined lack of resources have been blamed by maternity hospitals for the failure to fulfil their remit.
The report’s authors found some hospital staff are being blocked from performing their duties by other staff.
Abortion Rights Alliance spokeswoman Darina Murray told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘If medical staff in Ireland have a conscientious objection, they are supposed to refer on but we found in our own research that this is not happening much of the time.’
In response to queries from the MoS, the HSE confirmed three more hospitals are due to offer terminations at least up to 12 weeks by the end of the year but wouldn’t identify which hospitals.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly this weekend insisted the new national maternity hospital project ‘is strongly supported by the midwives, nurses, doctors, and other healthcare professionals’ in Holles Street and St Vincent’s hospitals.
He added: ‘It’s also supported by clinicians around the country who know how urgent it is, and that the need for clinical independence at the new hospital has been secured.’