National Women's Council of Ireland: "Abortion review must be catalyst for system change"

Barrister Marie O’Shea has released her review of Ireland’s abortion policy, which was introduced in 2019 following a referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment the year prior.

The report examined the effectiveness of Ireland's abortion laws and recommended legislative changes and operational recommendations.

The National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) and The Abortion Group welcomed Marie O’Shea’s review, and asserted the report should act as catalyst for legislative change, highlighting three of O'Shea's recommendations for more urgent implementation.

In Ireland, the Abortion Working Group is welcoming the report on implementation of the abortion law over the past 5 years. They are calling for legal reform to address key access barriers. #AbortionReview @IrishFPA @NWCI

Read the report here: https://t.co/sDrIoIKev8 https://t.co/IrrcdPyIr4

— Center for Reproductive Rights in Europe (@ReproRightsEUR) April 28, 2023

The first asked to remove the three day wait for abortion medication, labelling it as problematic due to the uneven distribution and shortage of services, which cause many women to have to travel to receive care. The report recommended that the three day wait be made optional.

The second argued that the government should reevaluate the 12-week gestation limit for women to access abortion services.

The third argued against the criminalisation of abortion, claiming that it can be “stigmatising for women as it reinforces its social and cultural framing as an immoral and aberrant act.”

The report also added that the abortion's criminal positioning may also “deter healthcare professionals from engaging in services, not because they do not want to provide but because they feel that the law does not protect them," and recommended that legislators remove criminal sanctions.

Abortion data: 97.5% of IFPA clients accessed abortion care after the mandatory waiting period.

The 3-day wait has no health rationale and is unjustifiable. It causes delay, stress & harm to women. It must be removed from the law.#AbortionReviewhttps://t.co/TIqGuhOcjX pic.twitter.com/cC0JmXC2nE

— IFPA (@IrishFPA) April 19, 2023

NWCI Director Orla O’Connor released a statement yesterday emphasising the requests.

“This report shows that, despite the wishes of the vast majority, women are still travelling for abortion, and doctors still face criminal liability in certain circumstances. We know that 80% of people do not want women to have to travel to access abortion, and that 71% believe abortion should be treated like any other healthcare procedure. It is very welcome that the report will now go to the Oireachtas Health Committee (the legislative body which scrutinises the work of the Department of Health) and we hope that Committee will present its recommendations before the summer recess.”

In their response to the report, the NWCI are calling on the Oireachtas Committee to recommend the removal of the 12-week limit, and urge the committee to remove the criminalisation clause entirely.

"Nobody, whether they are a doctor helping a patient, or a mother helping her daughter, should ever be criminalised for accessing healthcare," the response read.

The organisation also requested the removal of the three-day waiting period, calling it "patronising and demeaning."

"The 3-day wait delays access to time-sensitive healthcare and should have no place in our laws," NWCI stated.