@twowomentravel tweeted on ‘ordinariness’ of UK abortion trip

It was the very "ordinariness" and "everyday" quality of a journey to the United Kingdom for an abortion that two women wanted to capture when they live-tweeted their experience last weekend, one of the women has told The Irish Times.

Their twitter account, @twowomentravel, had 25,600 followers by yesterday afternoon.

Headed, "Two Women, one procedure, 48 hours away from home", it comprises 28 tweets, from Friday morning until Sunday evening, with photographs including of an Aer Lingus plane on the tarmac at Dublin airport, a Manchester road seen from a taxi window and a clinic waiting room.

There are no pictures of the women or any information that would identify them. This was intentional, explains the companion of the woman who had the procedure.

‘Not about us’

“We won’t be disclosing any details about ourselves. The purpose was not about us but as a statement of solidarity with all women who have to make this journey.

“What we were trying to get across, with the photographs and tweets, was the ordinariness of the journey, how it is a journey of transit stops, waiting rooms, taxis – waiting around and tedium. It’s the same tedious journey made every day by Irish women.”

The time leading up to the journey, however, was “up there in the top most stressful experiences” they had known, she says, between trying to organise travel and the procedure, and to pinpoint when they could go, in the context of a pregnancy her friend could not continue.

She had "huge admiration" for her friend, who remained calm throughout, even when told at the clinic where she had made the appointment that there was no anaesthetist and she would have to return "in September". In the end an alternative appointment was made at a Liverpool clinic.

“She stayed totally collected, but we are quite assertive and confident. If that had been a 15 year-old girl, maybe on her own, it could have been very different.”

They got a taxi from Manchester to Liverpool, at a cost of £45.

‘Compassionate’

Staff in Liverpool were “amazing” and “compassionate”, and there were a number of other Irish women there for abortions as well.

They had not anticipated the widespread response to their initiative – it was covered by Irish media, the Guardian, CNN and the BBC. "Imagine what could happen if there was the same attention paid to the 12 women a day who travel.

"The response has been amazingly supportive and it shows the disconnect between the Irish Government and public opinion. Irish people are screaming for change on this issue. Irish women should not have to make this journey."

Asked how her friend is, she says: “She’s wrecked,” but adds: “How she is is important, but the focus should not be on her feelings – whether it’s relief, or anger, or upset. It’s rude to speculate.

“She doesn’t need people to analyse her feelings or her abortion. What’s needed is for people to express solidarity with her and also other women who make the same journey.

"What we need is free, safe, legal abortion at home in Ireland. "