‘Some rape victims opt to keep the baby’

Some asylum seekers who arrive here pregnant as a result of rape have decided to parent and have not sought an abortion, said the director of the Kerry Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse Centre in Tralee yesterday.

Vera O’Leary said she was strongly of the opinion any female victim of rape should have access to an abortion.

However, she cautioned against concluding that all women who were raped automatically demanded one. She said in the centre’s experience, religious belief systems and cultural belief came into play strongly.