Guest post: Abortion Support Network - "In Ireland, motherhood is the punishment for poverty"

[MumsnetGuestPosts]

What would you do if the condom broke? If you were pregnant as result of rape? If you had three children but no job? If your wanted pregnancy was diagnosed with a fatal anomaly? What if you lived in a country where abortion is against the law?

"Please help. I've tried everything to try to miscarry... I've been drinking excessively, I've tried throwing myself down stairs, and even tried to overdose. I can't have this child. I don't want it!" – ASN client

In both Northern Ireland (despite being part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland, abortion is almost completely illegal. And as studies have shown, making abortion illegal doesn't stop or even reduce the incidence of abortion. It just stops safe abortion. Or put another way, for those across the Irish seas faced with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy, women and couples with money have options, and women and couples without money have babies, or take dangerous and desperate measures.

Abortion Support Network is a tiny charity that provides practical information on how to arrange the least expensive abortion and travel, financial assistances towards the cost of abortion and travel, and accommodation in volunteer homes to women forced to travel from Ireland and Northern Ireland for abortions. ASN does this with a mobile phone, a website, a database, one part-time employee, dozens of volunteers, and amazing individuals who give us money.

We do this is because we think being a parent is an important, fulfilling and difficult job, and not a role that should be forced on someone who doesn't want it. Parenting shouldn't be meted out as punishment to people who have non-procreative sex, but not £400-£2,000 in the bank.

"I used to have a job but it's so expensive to have someone mind the children. My partner has only been able to find work sporadically and we've been rationing food for the kids and have had the electricity turned off we're so short of money. We borrowed money for the flights and that money will need to be paid back too."

There is no typical woman who needs an abortion. ASN has heard from women as old as 51 and girls as young as 13. Women in or escaping abusive relationships, women pregnant as result of rape, women with serious mental or physical health issues. Women with children, women with grandchildren, women with no children. Married couples who felt they had enough children already. Students wanting to continue their educations rather than their pregnancies.

What did these people all have in common? They were pregnant. They didn't want to be pregnant. They are poor. And they never in a million years thought they'd be calling a stranger in England to ask for money to pay for an abortion.

"I was raped last month but never did anything about it as I blamed myself. I have now discovered I'm pregnant. I can't possibly bring a child into this world at this time in my life and I would rather die than go through with this pregnancy. I need to have an abortion but I haven't got the money."

All of the obstacles placed in front of women forced to travel for abortion care mean that very often, they are later in term. While fewer than 1.4% of abortions performed in the UK take place between 20 and 24 weeks gestation, at least 7% of ASN's clients need abortions at that stage. This is due to the delays caused by needing to raise funds, apply for passports, or, even more time-consuming, visas. Tragically, more than ten ASN clients have arrived in England only to find that they are over the legal limit for a termination – sometimes by as little as one day.

"I have several children including one who is quite ill. My husband abandoned us and I've never left my children before. I was saving up the money but am now past 14 weeks which means the price has gone up from £350 to £600, which seems impossible. If I am not able to do this before I am 18 weeks and six days the cost doubles to over £1,300. I just cannot see any way to do this. I had no idea that women in Ireland had to go through this."

ASN is a small organisation trying to alleviate an enormous problem. The Department of Health may be reporting falling numbers of women travelling to England for abortions, but calls to Abortion Support Network have increased year on year, from 89 in our first full year to 552 in 2014, an increase of 520%.

"I have two very young children and the youngest was diagnosed with a severe disability. I am so scared this baby will have the same or worse and either way I can’t handle caring for another child."

The women and couples who contact ASN are the living embodiment of the cost of making abortion illegal. We don't ask how a pregnancy occurred or why an abortion is wanted. We don't even ask if the caller is a woman. Our only criteria for funding is financial need and whether or not we have money in the bank. Abortion Support Network is a sticking plaster on this situation, not a solution. While groups like Abortion Rights Campaign Ireland and Alliance for Choice campaign for much needed law reform, we are providing women with the help they need most immediately: money.

"I never understood before how being able to have an abortion could be empowering, but now I do".

[YonicScrewdriver]

The Torygraph is just a nickname for the telegraph, as it's a right wing paper.

[duplodon]

Yes well, I had more to say, as the discussion moved on. That's a very childish, schoolyard line.

Oooh, they've hit the HUGE sum of 3000 so therefore it is 'working' to take this tack. Perhaps for today, yes.. But I doubt I will be the only pro choice Irish person to be a little bit less likely to want to support them in future for using this sort of advertising in this context. Could be, but doubt it.

I suppose it also depends if you believe the end justifies the means. Lots of charities who make money for developing nations use images and tactics that people in the developing world find very problematic, and they make a lot of money doing so. It doesn't make that sort of advertising more or less ethical because it brings in more money. Same here.

[Muddymits]

Outcomes for children, for the vulnerable in Ireland are worse for poverty, poverty does impact on healthcare but early abortion is cheap. This is blocked politically and whilst this isn't a conspiracy it is a directed result of mores inherited from a particularly patriarchal society.

The piece makes it clear that there is no typical woman who needs this charity, that the numbers of women seeking support is growing quickly and it also highlights just how desperate some of those women are. This is all pretty self evident and it seems a shame to judge the worthiness of the charity because of recent threads here.

Identifying the abortion situation as abusive to human rights is because it systemically excludes and punishes women as a whole and poor women particularly. The charity's use of punishment as a term is pretty apt from a country that has punished pregnant women in a range of institutional ways.

[Enormouse]

muddymits well said.

[BigChocFrenzy]

I think we all know the Nasty Party's Paper is British, that it is particularly nasty about women, the poor, ethnic minorties and has the usual rightwing love of jailing people.
So, yes I think they'd rejoice if Irish women were arrested on their return from an English abortion. Fortunately, no chance of that, so all those Tory pro-lifers will just have to fume at Irish women exercising choice.

Most of us also know that in the devolved NHS, costs are claimed back from the country of origin. However, when the UK government fails in its duty to provide equal rights to all citizens, then it should pay compensation from central government funding, just as it would have to find money after any other Human Rights breach.

The RoI will decide their own destiny, but the UK does not deserve to survive if those in one member country are second class citizens.

Duplodon In the RoI, the big difference between abortion and the lack of other healthcare provision you mentioned is that only abortion is illegal: if the other services are inadequate, it is presumably because the RoI government does its best, but is short of money.
Abortion is only a human rights issue when the state passes laws against it.
That's the reason Mumsnetters chose to support abortion, rather than other legal healthcare services that also need money.

[BigChocFrenzy]

( country of origin meaning where they normally live in the UK, not where they were born)

[squiggleirl]

Drawing attention to your worthy cause in a way that causes people who would have supported your cause before reading your campaign think you are being disingenuous and inflammatory... Not so clever, actually.

Exactly. When you resort to inaccurate divisive sloganning as part of your campaign, you lose credibility. The message you are really trying to convey gets lost in the stuff that was made up. Using shock-jock sloganning may have a short-term gain, but without credibility, you jeopardise longevity.

And having that opinion has nothing to do with being anti-abortion, pro-life, or pro-choice, or anything else. It is not limited to abortion discussions. It has to do with wanting to be presented with an accurate representation of a situation, rather than being manipulated.

[NewNameFor2015]

I totally take for granted my right to choose what happens to my body. I have horrific pregnancies including AND and couldn't imagine being forced to go through that when I really didn't want to. In fact I can imagine and it would most likely end in my death. Well done mumset on highlighting an important and vital charity in Ireland and Northern Ireland. I too hope Mara is out of a job sooner rather than later. The law needs to change.

[ReallyTired]

Bigchoc

Why do you not get it? The Conservative party and the Telegraph have nothing to do with the Republic of Ireland. They have as much power over policy in Ireland as in France. If you want to target your anger then focus on the Vatican. The Republic of Ireland is a Catholic country and the church has a lot of power. Blaming an English political party for democratic decisions made in Ireland makes you look stupid to put it politely. The British government are not to blame for "human rights breeches" in Ireland related to accessing abortion.

In Northern Ireland the Tories have no MPs and their laws on abortion are devolved. Again England had no say.

[Pangurban]

Drawing is misleading as abortion in cases of incest, rape and foetal incompatability with life is not available in Northern Ireland. Or surgical abortion in the main, I believe. This wording is incorrect as abortion is not freely available in the U.K. as a whole. If Britain had been stated instead, it would have been correct. Irish women who drive to Northern Ireland (UK), would not be able to access an abortion.

This campaign could also be directed at Northern Irish women who cannot avail of free NHS abortions in the UK.

[HapShawl]

Eh? It is aimed at women in NI

[Pangurban]

The drawing says

'But abortions are illegal in Ireland'

'And I can't afford to go to the U.K. '

Northern Ireland is in the U.K.

[YonicScrewdriver]

Pang, I take your point. People do use UK and Britain somewhat loosely and that's either what's been done here OR that cartoon was one drawn for Ireland not NI.

But - THIS IS A TINY CHARITY! The cartoon might have been drawn by a volunteer or an art student, it probably wasn't done by Saatchi. Could their marketing and messaging use some tweaking? Yes, probably. Is that the key focus or should it be more about what they actually do? YES!

If you know about marketing or are a dab hand with a pencil, I'm sure they'd welcome some of your volunteer time or a specific donation towards that.

I'm so cross about all this I'm gojng to go and donate again.

[HapShawl]

Ah it's about the cartoon rather than the post, which does make it clear. I'd be interested to know what the other women in NI on this thread think of the cartoon

[Enormouse]

I don't give two fucks about the cartoon. Or semantics. Or devolved politics. Or whatever.

I care about the ethos of the charity and the fact remains that they are a tiny charity trying to enable women to travel to England to access abortion. Despite, this being legal and NI being part of the uk there is no provision for NI women to travel to England. This restricts the access for poor women.

When i travelled I pointed out I was English and had been living in NI for only about 5 years. I had paid taxes in England and contributed to the nhs. The nurse pointed out 'But you have an NI postcode now'.

[HapShawl]

I expected that would be your response Enormouse!

It does feel like people are trying to find reasons not to support this charity

[HapShawl]

Fortunately enough are supporting for the target to be smashed!

DressMe - £2 a month isn't very little! It all adds up and over the months your contribution could make the difference between them being able to help a woman and not. I can't afford to give much more than that either

[Enormouse]

Can you tell I'm starting to get annoyed hap ?

Indeed, if you can't get behind the charity then don't donate.
Pulling apart their use of language, cartoons etc seems a bit low to me.

[wigglesrock]

I don't give a shiny shite about the cartoons - I hate cartoons, hate them no matter what they're advertising/promoting - they irritate me, doesn't mean I haven't and won't continue to support ASN. There's lots of charities for example that use promotional devices be it irritating celebrities or catchy sound bites that annoy me (and usually I'm such an easy going person ) but if I support them or want to support them, agree with their ethos or am sorry they're needed then that doesn't matter to me as much. I don't have the inclination to nit pick or dissect their literature just so I can be proved right on a technicality - I'm not 14.

[TheBabyFacedAssassin]

As another woman from NI I echo Enormouse's sentiment.

As Yonic pointed out, this tiny charity does not have the funds to funnel into marketing etc, every single last penny goes towards helping women whose own country has turned their backs on them.

Had I known that I still would have been able to access a termination last year despite being past the 24 week limit (fatal foetal abnormality) a termination would have cost £2-3k, then I would have had to find money for travel costs, and accommodation for my husband and I. We would have been able to afford it but what about the other women who find themselves with a diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality? That is an awful lot of money to have to find in a very short space of time, and without the support of ASN more and more women would be forced to remain pregnant knowing that they would not be taking a baby home at the end of it all. I've been there and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

I would love us to be able to hit £5k raised, I'm going to donate again myself.

[YonicScrewdriver]

Yay! I have donated again too. I guess the controversy is helping them raise more!

[Enormouse]

This is from the amnesty briefing earlier this year. And is truly heartbreaking. It discusses the realities of having to travel late in pregnancy in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities.

sluggerotoole.com/2015/02/26/briefing-about-ni-barriers-to-accessing-abortion-services-launched-by-amnesty-mybodymyrights/

babyface again, I am so sorry for what you had to go through.

[TheBabyFacedAssassin]

Thanks Enormouse, and thanks for sharing that piece.
Hopefully the NIHRC case next week will mean that women will soon have the option to terminate for FFA here in NI but until that happens ASN are providing an essential, compassionate service to families from NI in great distress.

[Enormouse]

Donagh stenson, in particular, was extremely moving.

We can hope babyface. But in the meantime, as you've said, there are practicalities and financial worries. And tons of unnecessary stress and fear. A charity who relieves some of that burden deserves donations imo.

[ChickenLaVidaLoca]

Agree with those upthread pointing out that some people are looking for reasons not to support the charity. I mean, vivienne's accusations that the OP was being misleading mentioning visas and passports weren't nit picking as she tried to claim. They were just wrong. For those who are pro choice but not supporting this charity because they object to the publicity, fair enough, but really in order for your stance to have any credibility you'd need to doing what you can to promote access to safe abortion for Irish women in other ways. If you are, great.

Also agree with those suggesting that NI women should be able to travel to elsewhere in the UK for NHS treatment. This often happens for other medical procedures that a patient needs but that aren't available in NI. I have friends from Belfast who travelled to London for NHS funded fertility treatment, for example.

And highlandmum, off you fuck then. Good riddance.