Cavan among counties with low abortion care provision

The report was released today.

Cavan is among the counties with fewer than 10 GPs providing access to abortion services.

A report from the National Women's Council of Ireland, released to mark four years since the referendum on abortion, shows half of counties have less than 10 GPs providing the care.

The organisation says there is a "rural divide" with Doctors in more urban areas more likely to provide abortion care.

Cavan General Hospital is also among those to not provide the services. The NWCI says "only 11 out of 19 maternity hospitals are currently providing full abortion services in line with the law".

Research carried out by Dr Lorraine Grimes and the Abortion Rights Campaign suggests service users are travelling considerable distances to access care . 30% of survey respondents who have used the service since 2019 reported travel of 4-6 hours to access abortion care.

Orla O’Connor, Director of NWC said,

“We know that women and pregnant people from every single county in Ireland need abortions. Four years on from Repeal, it’s not acceptable that the provision of care is so patchy and piecemeal, something which is particularly affecting rural areas. We need the Government to prioritise community-wide provision of abortion that allows for local, accessible care for all those who need it.