Two women have died in England from ‘DIY’ home abortions, the recently approved system for accessing abortion in England amid the coronavirus pandemic.
An identical system for ensuring abortions continue to happen during the Covid-19 crisis is also operating in Ireland with the full backing of the Government, despite the serious health risks it poses to pregnant women as well as to unborn babies.
The tragic news of the two deaths only came to light yesterday after an email sent by a senior NHS midwife, alerting colleagues to the “escalating risks” of home abortions, was leaked.
The leaked email also states that women availing of ‘DIY’ abortions are regularly attending ED [emergency departments] for “ruptured ectopics, major resuscitation for major haemorrhage” due to the abortions.
The Pro Life Campaign first raised concerns about the Irish Government’s approval of telemedicine home abortions on 27th March, the day the then Minister for Health Simon Harris approved the new system.
It is wholly unacceptable that the new Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, continues to dodge the question on whether the Chief Medical Officer signed off on the decision to approve the introduction of home abortions here.
Telemedicine ‘DIY’ abortions typically involve women self-administering abortion pills at home without any face-to-face consultation with a doctor beforehand. As shown by the two tragic deaths in England in recent weeks, it endangers the lives of women as well as their babies.
It’s only a matter of time before a woman dies in Ireland as a result of the reckless decision of the present government to approve home abortions. Stephen Donnelly chose to ignore the warnings from TDs like Carol Nolan and Eamon Ó Cuiv, the Pro Life Campaign and others in recent weeks about the lives that are being put at risk as a result of the Government’s bull-headed unthinking facilitation of abortion at all costs. But given the tragic news from England this week, they can no longer hide from the life-endangering consequences of their continued support for ‘DIY’ abortions.
Stephen Donnelly, as Minister for Health, has a responsibility to immediately suspend the practice of telemedicine abortion and place on the record once and for all whether or not the opinion of the CMO was sought before ‘DIY’ abortions were first sanctioned back in March.