Cheaper air fares encouraging ‘abortion refugees’, says agency
The women are known as “abortion refugees”, according to Audrey Simpson, the director of the Family Planning Association of Northern Ireland.
A survey carried out by the association showed more than 3,000 women travel to Liverpool from Ireland every year for a private abortion, 2,000 from the South and 1,000 from the North.
Ms Simpson said: “A large number of women, who have become known as abortion refugees, travel to Liverpool every year. There are hotels in the city which organise package deals, including accommodation and drop-off services to and from the clinics.
“These women are forced to travel to Liverpool for private abortions because of the severe restrictions in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. It is a ridiculous situation in Northern Ireland where abortion law is not clarified.”
Liverpool has long been a favoured destination because of the ferry link with Ireland and this has been reinforced in recent years by low-cost air routes from Dublin and Belfast. One-way tickets from Dublin can now be bought for under €10, although Ms Simpson emphasised that many women with crisis pregnancies do not have the luxury of booking far in advance to avail of the cheapest fares.
Ms Simpson said many women from Donegal avail of the counselling services of her association rather than those provided by the Irish Family Planning Association in the South. “The reason for that, of course, is that Derry is much closer than Dublin. We provide them with the same counselling as we do women from the North. We have no problem with that.”
However, that situation is about to change as the IFPA is planning to extend its counselling services around the country. The chief executive of the IFPA, Catherine Heaney, said her association hoped to provide a service in Donegal in the near future.
The Northern Ireland association offers women a booklet containing details of the Liverpool hotels offering support packages for those having to stay overnight.
The Regent Maritime hotel in Bootle drops off and picks up clients at clinics for an extra fee.
Hotel owner Rosslyn Smith, said: “Women coming over for abortions have made up the bulk of our business during the last 10 years. In the past we have had 17 to 20 staying in one weekend. We used to get a lot of 13 to 16-year-olds.
“This is less so now as changes to anaesthetic rules mean more women can have it done in a day. But for those staying with us, we offer the drop-off service like a number of smaller hotels.”
A Liverpool organisation called Escort has volunteers who meet women and help them get to the clinic. Some volunteers even offer the women accommodation in their homes.
Volunteer Kim Lowden said she had 70 women staying a year.
She said: “These are the women who have no money for accommodation or transport and don’t know anyone here.
“The number coming over is much higher than official figures suggest. Women are scared stiff of the stigma and they don’t want anybody at home to find out.”
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