abortion illegal

[Eyylaa87]

Posting here for the traffic, im so sorry

Just found out I am pregnant. I am an expat living abroad (Turkey) and although on paper abortion is still legal, I have found out that no clinic or hospital or doctor will perform one without a medical reason to do so. So basically abortions are legal however we cannot access them.

I am 6 weeks pregnant and really do not want to continue with this. I have looked online at travelling to the UK for one however they are around 500GBP which I really cannot afford :( Although I am financially well considering where I live, once my wage and money is converted to pounds I am considered poor. I am terribly stuck and now even considering keeping a baby I am not ready for at all.

Any advice please

Lovesnowforever

It also says that there is a loophole & it can be carried out within 12wks & after mandatory counselling.

Both. As a nurse I hear all the time people complaining about immigrants using the NHS, ignoring that they are working here, paying tax and NI and are entitled to NHS treatment. That is without counting the large number of immigrants who have moved here and who work in the NHS.

The law in the UK is that if you emigrate....and Brits are immigrants to the countries they move to, not ex pats as most insist, they are no longer entitled to NHS treatment. Its like health Insurance...we paid thousands when living in France but never needed it. Doesnt mean we can go back to France and if taken ill use the old insurance because we paid in for years. Fact.

international-adviser.com/british-expats-in-eu-denied-access-to-nhs/ fullfact.org/health/health-tourists-how-much-do-they-cost-and-who-pays/ and the cost of health tourism... fullfact.org/health/health-tourists-how-much-do-they-cost-and-who-pays/

No, you definitely can’t do this.
A friend of mine was very recently in a similar situation working overseas in Italy when she found out she was pregnant. She spoke with BPAS who told her that under no circumstances could they send her the medication through the mail, and that she would either need to return to the UK to be prescribed the medication or seek treatment with a local provider.

There's an article in today's Telegraph interviewing a Dutch abortion provider who is providing abortion pills in the USA. Her organisation has a helpline. You may get good advice here OP.

www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/dr-rebecca-gomperts-every-woman-should-have-abortion-pills-medicine/

This is an archived link, hopefully you can open it.

archive.vn/2022.12.29-125737/www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/dr-rebecca-gomperts-every-woman-should-have-abortion-pills-medicine/

Here's a link to their website. It seems to be mainly aimed at USA but as she is in the Netherlands and has campaign and previous work around the world I am sure you might be able to find helpful information.

aidaccess.org

Stick a post in Site Stuff and let us know. We will support this.

Brits complain about health tourism…the majority though are Brits living abroad who have no entitlement to health care in U.K. but use it anyway.

I put in for years and I'd be happy for any woman from anywhere to access safe contraception or abortion in the UK if they can't access it where they are. I'm a woman before I'm British.

Thank you so much everyone. I am overwhelmed at the non judgemental support I have received. I spoke to the clinic in Istanbul which said they would perform it only if my partner comes and consents. I am booked for next week. They are charging a hefty amount but I am very very lucky that it is an amount I am able to pay. I feel terrible for so many women here who will not be able to afford the amount said. Just to give some perspective its 11k Turkish money. The average wage here is around 6k monthly. And even then I was given a whole load of 'babies are blessings, think it through, you may regret it.. etc'

I am so so so grateful for everyone who posted today and gave me all the advice possible. I am going to research and see what I can do for the many women here stuck with no financial means to access an abortion..

I agree, I would be happy for any women stuck in this position too. My eyes have really opened this week. I really do wish I could return to the UK where women have so much rights and are protected. Here, women are still fired for being pregnant!

Good luck OP. A very difficult situation for you. I'm so pleased you have managed to sort it out.
We are so lucky here in the UK.

I'm glad you have managed to get it sorted out. Good luck.

There probably are charities like this? Does anyone know? If not, seems quite a gap, no?

There probably are charities like this? Does anyone know? If not, seems quite a gap, no?

There have been some posted on this thread. Mostly for countries where it's illegal though. May be why Turkey is an issue, as it's not illegal, just very very restrictive.

If you want to donate, ASN is great.

There's nothing on that link there (that I can see) that backs up @Solonge 's statement that British ex-pats use the NHS more than 'health tourists.' (People who are not British and have never had citizenship.) If it IS there, kindly point it out, because I can't see it!

Also @ClarathecrosseyedLioness and @Solonge even if it IS true that ex pats get more NHS treatment than health tourists, so what? Many of them have paid 1000s and 1000s in taxes before they left, so they are more entitled anyway.

It's great you found a clinic. So awful it's that expensive and you need your partner's consent.
2022 and so many women in the world can't access abortion.

I am pleased you're sorted and I hope it all goes well. I am confused though, as to how they are charging a hefty amount, but you are 'very very lucky' you can pay it. When on your first/opening post, you said you originally couldn't scrape together £500.

I'll leave it there. I'm out.

OP i am so happy for you that you’ve been able to find the safe and legal care that you needed but I am so sorry that it’s been so hard to find and that it will be so expensive. I hope that it’s reasonably close by for you to get to.

There will be a lot of women on here who have experience of some of what you have been going through and who are all wishing you well.
It’s so unjust that all women can’t have safe, legal accessible services locally to them. Take care of yourself.x

Oh dear.....once again....it is illegal!!!! its like health insurance....you cant claim when you no longer live in the country. Brexit was chosen by mainly racists, nationalists and wealthy Tories, this is the Brexit gift along with huge waits at airports and ferry ports, expensive heating (unlike the EU)........if we had stayed in the EU we would have been fine...billions wealthier.....etc. Your attitude used to piss off everyone in France and Spain....this entitled Brit attitude...of I am British i am above rules. If you are an expat....then pay for your treatment...get a health insurance set up and stop bleeding what resources we have left here.

@PurpleButterflyWings I never said it did. I was just posting some info about the topic.

even if it IS true that ex pats get more NHS treatment than health tourists, so what? Many of them have paid 1000s and 1000s in taxes before they left, so they are more entitled anyway.

I repeat. I never said they did.

I don't make the rules.

Because the NHS is a residency-based system, under NHS rules UK nationals who move abroad on a permanent basis lose their entitlement to free NHS healthcare.
You should take out appropriate travel insurance when visiting the UK, as you would when visiting any other country. Any treatment you may have to pay for will be charged at 150% of the national NHS rate.
However, some former UK residents do not have to pay for NHS treatment when visiting England. This includes UK war pensioners, UK government employees, and UK nationals living in the EU on or before 31 December 2020.
You should check before travelling to the UK whether you qualify for an exemption from charging or will be required to pay for your treatment.

I paid the same. Can I come back to uk for treatment then after I emigrate elsewhere? I am overal preumed net contributor since I didn't cost uk anything in schooling etc. Does that count?

Hopefully everyone on the thread will agree that MN should be able to offer the standard contact details for women to access basic information around finding a safe legal abortion, to help them if the country that they are in at the time that they need that info, blocks those websites.

I started a site stuff thread to ask MNHQ to put up a sticky so that MN is a source of contacts that women in this position can access immediately. If you think that would be useful please comment on that thread. (Or please suggest whatever you think would be more helpful)

www.mumsnet.com/talk/site_stuff/4707849-mners-abroad-seeking-ukinternational-abortion-care-info

@PurpleButterflyWings

A quick google would have let you know that 11k Turkish money is roughly £490!

Best of luck OP, I hope it all goes well for you.

I agree, the consent part is horrible. It would have been impossible for me if my partner did not agree to it. As expensive as it it, it still works out cheaper as no flights (around another 500 pounds), accommodation and other expenses. We can drive to Istanbul and hotels and food etc are always much cheaper here. It would work out to being a quarter of what I would have payed had I traveled to the UK. My workplace has also agreed to an 'avans' which is that they loan you money and deduct from your wage monthly. At least no inflation when I am working with turkish currency