Fewer women travelling to Britain for abortions

The number of Irish women travelling to Britain for an abortion has almost halved in the past 14 years.

Records from Britain’s Department of Health reveal 3,451 women gave addresses in the Republic while attending clinics in England and Wales last year — a slight decrease on the 2014 figure of 3,735, but down 48% from the 2001 figure of 6,673.

The UK records show an even steeper decline among teenagers, with the vast majority of Irish women seeking abortions in Britain being in their 20s and 30s.