Sir, – Brianna Parkins’ excellent analysis of Ireland’s abortion law rightly calls out the misogyny underlying the patronising and medically unnecessary mandatory waiting period (“Misogyny in Ireland is quiet. But it’s there”, Magazine, July 1st).
Ms Parkins notes that the Taoiseach has asked about women who attended a first abortion consultation, but not a second.
Data from a review of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) abortion service confirms that this is a very small number of women.
The big picture is that the vast majority of those who attend for a first consultation go on to have an abortion.
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Our data set shows that, in 2021, out of 484 clients who attended the IFPA seeking abortion care, 25 were ineligible for reasons such as miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, or because they were no longer pregnant. Twelve clients made no further contact after their initial appointment. We, therefore, cannot speculate about the outcomes in those cases.
Of the remaining 447 clients, 97.5 per cent had an abortion. Most continued their care with the IFPA (87 per cent), while some clients were referred for hospital-based abortion services (10.5 per cent), in line with HSE guidance.
Our records for 2021 indicate that 2.5 per cent of clients continued their pregnancies.
There is nothing in the data to indicate that the legal requirement to “go away and think about it” influenced any of our clients’ decisions.
Abortion, a healthcare service that only women need, is subject to a mandatory waiting period. In all other circumstances, medical treatment is begun as soon as possible after the decision to proceed is made.
What is that, if not misogyny? – Yours, etc,
MAEVE TAYLOR,
Director of Advocacy and
Communications,
Irish Family Planning Association.
Sir, – With reference to Brianna Parkins’ article on misogyny in Australia and Ireland, she ends by saying “Women do not arrive at the decision to have an abortion lightly. When will this country believe that we, women, know what we’re at? We don’t need to go away and think about it. We need you to listen. And act.”
She is referring to the mandatory three-day delay for reflection about abortion choice.
The decision to end a pregnancy is among the most momentous any human being has to make, because it entails denying further life to a developing human.
I am sure most people have understanding and sympathy for women faced with that decision.
Irish people are basically kind and I believe it was this empathy with women that caused so many Irish men and women to vote Yes to allow legal abortion to be introduced into this country.
But still, a third of the electorate voted No, such is our respect for human life.
A woman “expecting” meant a baby in the making and changing the term to foetus did not change how people saw and still see this serious matter.
At referendum time the people of Ireland were assured that abortions would be rare and that it would not become a kind of contraception service.
A figure of 8,000 Irish abortions a year suggests that is what it has now become. Women have been given the right in law to terminate their unwanted foetus but they need medical staff to do the deed.
We must not forget that abortion is a momentous decision for each of those individuals too.
In modern times the general attitude to sex has changed. From being mainly about marriage and procreation, sex has become a commodity, a recreation, “physical fun” to borrow a recent reference in this newspaper.
That is a matter for the individual, whose choice is to be respected.
Many of the pregnancies would not be unwanted if young people had realistic means to start a family.
We know the housing situation is dire and will take time to remedy, but what is the State doing to give “unwanted” pregnancies a chance?
The abortion services cost money. I propose that the State match the annual abortion budget with at least the same amount ringfenced annually for services to help women keep their babies. – Yours, etc,
SORCHA DONNELLY,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.