Nearly half of women accessing abortion services were mothers, says IFPA
Report Week Limit Picture Due On By File Women Highlighted The Some Issues The Gestational 12 Placed Faced The To Service
The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) has said some women continue to face difficulties accessing abortion services in Ireland but community-based early abortion services are working well, according to the sexual healthcare provider.
An analysis released by the IFPA shows 94% of women accessing abortion services were less than 10 weeks pregnant at the time.
Further data showed women of all ages presented to the IFPA’s abortion service, with 85% aged in their 20s and 30s.
Nearly half were mothers. The majority were not using a method of contraception when they became pregnant, whilst others experienced contraceptive failure.
A six-month survey of 177 IFPA clients showed:
- 51% of clients were in their 20s.
- 34% were in their 30s.
- 8% were under 20.
- 7% were aged 40, or over.
- Approximately half of their clients, 49%, were mothers.
- 68.4% were not using a method of contraception when they became pregnant.
20% of clients who used contraception reported using condoms while 8% used the contraceptive pill.
Speaking about the analysis, IFPA medical director, Dr Caitriona Henchion, said most people using the service were able to do so at home.
“The IFPA analysed six months of data from our early abortion service and found that the vast majority of our clients, 92% were able to self-manage their abortion at home,” she said.
The report also highlighted issues faced by some women due to the 12-week gestational limit placed on the service. The IFA said 5% of clients were close to or just over the 12-week limit.
Dr Henchion said the pressure to access care in time can increase the stress of those accessing the service.
“In our experience, women whose pregnancies are close to the legal cut-off limit of 12 weeks experience additional stress due to the intense pressure of trying to access care in time.
"Unfortunately, a small number of our clients in 2019 were unable to access abortion care in Ireland because of this rigid legal cut-off,” Dr Henchion said.
Dr Henchion said the coronavirus pandemic is also posing difficulties. “Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, some women are now in an impossible situation: excluded by law from accessing care in Ireland and prevented by public health restrictions from availing of this essential service outside the State,” she said.
Dr Henchion said concerns about access to contraception also remain. “Our data indicate that community-based abortion care is working well.
"But necessary reforms in contraception are lagging behind: cost is still a barrier to some women’s access to the most effective long-acting reversible methods of contraception.
“Women experience unintended pregnancy for multiple and complex reasons. But lack of access to a choice of the most appropriate contraception should never be one of them,” said Dr Henchion.