REPRODUCTIVE FIGHTS

Woman Denied an Abortion in Dublin Despite Ban Repeal

Abortion was made legal and free in Ireland on Jan. 1.

Despite last year’s landslide vote to repeal Ireland’s constitutional ban on abortion, a woman has allegedly been denied the procedure by a hospital in Dublin. According to The Irish Examiner, Coombe hospital declined to administer the abortion because her condition did not “fall neatly into a fatal fetal abnormality” diagnosis. Since January 1, any woman in the country up to 12 weeks pregnant can receive a free, legal abortion; after 12 weeks, hospitals can only perform the abortion under exceptional circumstances, such as fetal abnormalities. When the women received a scan at 13 weeks, the obstetrician discovered the fetus’ organs had grown outside its body. Soon after, her physician discussed her request for an abortion with an “internal board” at Coombe. The hospital has since denied any role in the refusal to grant her the abortion, reports The Examiner.

The Guardian reported Friday that the woman will be traveling next week to England for an abortion, a trip taken by countless Irish women before the 8th Amendment’s repeal. In the aftermath, pro-choice activists have voiced concerns over the new legislation, wondering whether its vague wording and heavy restrictions could lead more doctors to deny abortions. On Thursday, two politicians who had been contacted by the woman presented her case to Dáil, the lower house of the Irish parliament. Bríd Smith, of the People Before Profit party, told the chamber: “Her words to me were: ‘This is not what I voted for. I have constitutional rights.’”

IT’S OVER

Ireland Votes in Landslide to Repeal Abortion Ban: Exit Poll