The opinions and experiences of Irish obstetric and gynaecology trainee doctors in relation to abortion services in Ireland

Abstract

The clinical experiences and opinions of the respondents suggest that the current legal availability of abortion in Ireland is insufficient to guide best clinical practice and does not represent the views of those that provide obstetric care.

Abortion, emotions, and health provision: Explaining health care professionals' willingness to provide abortion care using affect theory

“…Liberalisation of abortion access in law has not always proven to equate to liberalisation of abortion access in practice. In the Irish context, the opacity of HCPs' logics of what care to offer/not offer is not helped by the fact that, outside of a very small number of studies (Aitken, Patek, & Murphy, 2017; Britton et al, 2017; Francome, 1994), qualitative evidence of the lived experience of HCPs caring for women is largely absent in existing literature.…”

Experiences of women in Ireland who accessed abortion by travelling abroad or by using abortion medication at home: a qualitative study

“…The limited existing literature on Irish healthcare professionals’ attitudes towards abortion suggests that the majority do support a change in the law to allow abortion up to various gestational age limits. 28…”

How can a state control swallowing? The home use of abortion pills in Ireland

“…In a study led by Dr Mark Murphy of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 12% of sampled hospital doctors replied that they would be prepared to report an illegal abortion to the police, with a further 14% unsure of whether they would do so. 35 While this is a small study (184 hospital doctors were sampled, with 28% responding), which is yet to be peer-reviewed, it suggests a level of uncertainty about the law that may well be sufficient to deter women from disclosing use. WoW, WHW and local activists advise women requiring aftercare to claim to have suffered a spontaneous miscarriage (which would present and be treated in the same way as one induced by pills) and this claim will generally be impossible to disprove.…”

“…(Clarke, ASN, interview; see also 34 ) Second, those women who have the necessary travel documents and funds may travel (in particular to England), where they are likely to access high quality, tightly regulated services. However, some doctors in Ireland believe that the need to travel may itself impact negatively on their health 17,35 and many women will struggle to explain their absence to family, employers or school, or to raise the necessary €520-2,500 (depending on gestation and other factors) for flights, accommodation and the procedure. 34 The law has an obvious and significant discriminatory impact, creating particularly acute problems for poorer women and those without valid travel documentation.…”