Investigation finds massive growth in number of abortion pills seized by Irish government

An investigation by Broadly has found that the Irish Government are seizing an increasing number of illegal abortion pills.

Exclusive figures obtained by Broadly under the Freedom of Information Act from the Republic of Ireland's Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) demonstrate the extent the government are going to prevent women accessing terminations. The obtained data shows that the government prevented 3,467 tablets (labeled as misoprostol and mifepristone) from reaching their intended destination. Over a four year time period, the number of seized tablets rose by 36 percent. In 2011, 653 tablets. This increased to 890 tablets in 2015. Misoprostol and mifepristone were added to the World Health Organization's list of "essential medicines" in 2008 and yet remain illegal in Ireland, forcing women in need to travel abroad. Last week, the UN Human Rights committee ruled that Irish woman, Amanda Mellet, is owed compensation by the Irish government as she was forced to travel abroad for an abortion. The committee said that Ireland is denying citizens their basic human rights. Earlier this week the government agreed to pay Amanda Mellet €30,000 as compensation for the breach in her human rights. Ms Mellet travelled to the UK to terminate her pregnancy after being told her baby would die in the womb or shortly after birth. Speaking to The Irish Times, Prof Sarah Cleveland, a member of the UN committee said that if women in a similar situation to Ms Mellet took a case to the committee, the Government would also be required to pay them compensation. The Irish government has previously been told by the UN to change its abortion laws and the pressure has intensified after this ruling.