Out of time: Tara’s story

The day Tara* found out she was still pregnant was already a stressful one. She was at the hospital, getting ready for reconstructive surgery following cancer. And ahead of the surgery, the doctor asked if she knew she was pregnant. She didn’t.

Tara knew continuing this pregnancy was not an option. But when she went to the doctor a few days later, they told her she was over 12 weeks – the window for care in Ireland was closed.

Time limits for care in Ireland

It is not medically possible to date a pregnancy with 100% accuracy. Scans in the first trimester are accurate +/- 5-7 days.

20% of the people who contact ASN’s helpline are within 1 week of the legal limit for care in Ireland.

Some have already legally accessed a medical abortion in the first trimester, but it failed. Some are pushed over the limit by the medically unnecessary, mandatory 3-day waiting period.

Travelling to England for care

Tara’s doctor told her that the only option for getting an abortion was to travel to England, where the cost of private care is between €730 and €1750. She would also have to find money for travel.

“This was the last thing I ever expected after having cancer. I had been off work for over a year, in and out of hospitals most of that time. I was just getting back on my feet.”

Every year, between 150 and 250 women and pregnant people contact ASN’s helpline from Ireland, looking for support to travel for an abortion.

Working together on the solution

ASN’s helpline is mostly volunteers, working in weekly shifts to answer calls from all over Europe. Ireland is our second biggest country; we hear from someone in Ireland every other day.

After speaking to her doctor, Tara called us. One of the first things she said was: “Hand on heart, I have no money.” The idea of finding €1000+ to travel was totally overwhelming.

Tara talked everything through on the phone with one of our volunteers. Over the last year, Tara had used most of her savings being off work while she recovered from cancer. But she realised she could find about €200 towards the cost – this would cover the flights, and €100 at the clinic. She felt less overwhelmed already.

ASN could cover the remaining €740. This was the last barrier in her way, and we could help.

We can only do this because our network of supporters makes donations towards the costs of people travelling. Can you help support the next person who needs to travel for care?

*Name has been changed