Irish women seeking abortion in Russia

Irish women desperate for abortions are travelling to Russia to undergo the procedure which is outlawed in the Republic, it emerged today.

Thousands of women are forced to leave Ireland every year to have abortions, and many go to the UK, but an Irish Senator said women are now travelling further afield.

Many go to Russia where the operation was carried out at private clinics, said independent Senator Mary Henry.

The legal position in Ireland is currently unclear and a referendum on the issue is set to be held later in the year.

But currently it is illegal to have an abortion in the Republic.

Ms Henry, who is also a medical doctor, said she heard the revelation during a conference in Moscow last month.

She said the Russian Deputy Health Minister, Olga Sharpova, did not know how many women were travelling to Russia for the procedure but told her: ‘‘It was not a lot, but not a handful either.’’

The senator said: ‘‘I thought this was quite serious because we are obviously not looking at the whole picture at all in thinking everybody who wants an abortion travels to the UK.’’

Around 7,000 women travel to the UK every year for the operation.

The women going to Russia are travelling on tourist visas and visiting private clinics.

As many private clinics in Russia do not have to provide information to the Russian Health Ministry, an exact figures were not available, the Russian Embassy in Dublin said.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern wants to clarify the legislation in the light of conflicting signals to emerge from three nationwide votes on the issue nine years ago, and a Supreme Court ruling that permitted a 14-year-old schoolgirl to travel to Britain for a termination.

New government plans would effectively allow abortion in cases where the life of a mother was considered to be at risk, but rule out the threat of suicide as a reason.

The referendum would add two new sub-sections to the relevant article of the written constitution outlawing abortion, permitting doctors to undertake any medical treatment they believed to be necessary to protect the life of pregnant women - even if it resulted in the ending of ‘‘an unborn life’’.

While the risk of suicide by the mother will not be grounds for abortion, the use of the ‘‘morning after’’ pill would be allowed.