Over-44s in need of pregnancy advice doubles
The Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) said that many of the women were in a relationship or marriage.
“This highlights how a pregnancy, or a pregnancy which becomes a crisis, can happen to a woman at any stage of her life,” the IFPA states in its annual report.
In 2013, the IFPA provided information and support to almost 3,700 women, girls, and couples experiencing an unplanned or crisis pregnancy
There were 50 women aged over 44 years who received pregnancy counselling, representing almost 4% of all clients.
In 2012, 19 women aged over 44 attended pregnancy counselling and represented 1% of the total.
Most of the women (42.6%) attending for pregnancy counselling were aged between 25 and 34. Women aged between 35 and 44 accounted for 29% of clients.
There was also an increase in women over 50 attending for sexual health services, including sexually transmitted infection screening and menopause check-ups.
Last year, women and couples seeking post-abortion counselling represented almost half (45%) of all those attending counselling services.
According to the IFPA, women are increasingly expressing their frustration at being forced to travel to another state to access abortion services.
It pointed out that, last year, migrant women represented 11% of their counselling clients and many were unable to travel freely to another state to access abortion services.
In the 12 months to September 2014, 26 migrant women with travel restrictions attended the IFPA’s counselling service and indicated they wanted an abortion.
The IFPA said at least five were forced to continue with the pregnancy and parent against their wishes. There were at least four who were considering taking or had taken the abortion pill.
The other women did not return to the IFPA and it is not known if they managed to access abortion services.
IFPA chief executive Niall Behan said: “Under Irish law, the entire burden of accessing an abortion abroad falls on women. Last year, some of our clients with travel restrictions managed to overcome the barriers and travel. Some of our clients tried to obtain the abortion pill. However, others had no option but to continue with the pregnancy and parent against their wishes.”
The report points out that IFPA counsellors assist women as much as possible in overcoming these barriers but are restricted in the support they can give by the current legal and constitutional framework on abortion. Women attending the IFPA’s counselling service due to a diagnosis of foetal anomaly accounted for almost 3% of IFPA clients last year and most were referred by maternity hospitals.
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