Do women in Ireland access abortion at the moment?

Yes, the Irish Constitution allows women to access abortion in other countries. Nine people a day travel from Ireland to the UK for an abortion. They do this, often without telling anyone and with no support. They also have to raise the money to pay for travel and abortion care, as well as making other family and work arrangements.

Other women order abortion pills online and take them without advice or support  from their doctor. These women currently break the law and could face a prison sentence of up to 14 years.

A small number of women have abortions in Irish hospitals each year. This happens only if the continuation of the pregnancy threatens the life of the woman. Twenty-five abortions happened in Irish hospitals last year for this reason.

Voting yes means a woman can access abortion here in Ireland, under the care of her own doctor.

Further reading on this topic

I am almost 70 years old. I got married when I was 19 and thirty five years ago I had four children aged 13, 14, 15 and 16. They were all in secondary school and working hard to get good exam results when I awoke one morning with an excruciating pain in my back. I went straight to my GP who sent me for an X-ray immediately.

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