Charity that helped thousands of Irish women travel for abortions launches urgent appeal

The Abortion Support Network has launched an urgent appeal for donations

The charity, which has helped thousands of Irish women travel abroad for abortion care, is seeking the public's support.

The team confirmed that demand for the service has sharply increased.

The charity provides support to people who need to travel for an abortion, including thousands from the Republic of Ireland both before and after Repeal.  

Abortion care in Ireland was legalised in January 2019 following the Repeal vote, in which 66% of the country voted to allow abortion provision in Ireland.  

The new laws allow for abortion by request up to 11 weeks and six days and in case of fatal foetal anomaly.

However, ASN has found that many people still need to travel to England for an abortion, including for terminations for medical reasons.  

Since the laws changed, the charity has helped more than 1,000 people with information on how to travel abroad for an abortion.

It has also provided financial assistance to more than 450 who had to travel for an abortion.

On average, people now need grants of €1,000 to cover the escalating costs.

Figures from 2022 suggest that ASN funds up to half of all Irish residents who travel to England for an abortion. 

ASN’s Managing Director Camille Kumar said:

"After the successful Repeal campaign, people think abortion care is accessible in Ireland. Until they need one and don’t meet the strict criteria.

"The reality is many people still have to travel, and on top of this they have to pay for care, travel, childcare costs, and accommodation.

"All of which can easily be upwards of €2,000. For many people, this is an inconvenience, but for some, finding this money is impossible."

Kumar stressed that they don't judge anyone who contacts them and they want to support everyone who needs abortion care.

"But we are angry that we are still covering the costs for the Irish government. We are funded by individual people who make small monthly donations to help others access essential health care.

"We urgently need to secure more funding to cover the increasing costs of providing this service."

The charity will have to reduce the funding if they can't raise €50,000 by April.

"This fundraising appeal is a last resort. The amount of financial support needed has increased so much that we may have no choice but to reduce our grants to keep helping as many people as possible.

"Being short of a few hundred euro should not be the reason someone continues a pregnancy.”

The fundraising campaign is running until the end of April.

Camille Kumar has urged pro-choice supporters to get in touch with ASN if they can help the fundraising efforts.