by Louise Doyle
THERE were almost 350 terminations of pregnancy in Donegal in a three-year period.
Figures contained in the Independent Review of the Operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, published in recent days, reveals 345 terminations were carried out in Donegal since the procedure became legal in Ireland.
The report shows 127 terminations were carried out in the county in 2019; 128 in 2020 and 90 in 2021.
But, the figures for 2021 come with the caveat that they may be much higher, due to the impact of Covid-19 and the HSE cyber attack.
There is inconsistent geographic inclusion of primary care providers carrying out abortions, according to report findings.
“There is uneven geographic coverage of hospitals providing full services under the Act. The 11 providing hospitals are located in Dublin, Cork, Drogheda, Galway, Limerick, Mayo, Mullingar, Sligo and Waterford.
“Last year, the government set an initial target that all maternity units would be providing the full range of services by the end of 2022. However, the target was not reached with only one hospital, University Hospital Sligo, commencing services,” the report states.
The report highlights fewer contracts between the HSE and primary care providers are recorded in the south-east, north-west, midlands and border counties.
This has meant women have been required to travel, sometimes long distances by public transport, at significant cost, to access a providing GP.
“The mandatory three-day wait between the first and second appointment compounds this problem. Both issues also present logistical problems for women, particularly those who are time constrained.”
Data contained in the report reveals that in some areas of the county, women are depending on very low numbers of abortion providing GPs, which, the report states, “makes for extremely tenuous service provision”.
In its conclusion, the report found there is need for further consideration of policy around operation of the Act and arrangement of services.
It pointed out that while services for termination of pregnancy under the Act are available to all women in Ireland, challenges remain to remove barriers.
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