LATEST figures from Britain, which show an increase in the number of Irish women having abortions there, were not necessarily a reflection of the true picture, the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) said yesterday.
The figures, compiled by the UK Office for National Statistics, show that at least 4,884 Irish women travelled to England and Wales in 1996 for abortions, an increase of 352 on the previous year.
According to a UK spokesman, this figure could be higher because it does not include the number who may have had a termination in Scotland. In 1995, 4,532 women with Irish addresses had abortions in England and Wales.
But Ms Catherine Forde, IFPA chairwoman, said the figures would demonstrate a greater willingness by women to register at abortion clinics with Irish addresses since non-directive counselling was introduced in 1995. "If you have people going over, who have been counselled, who know that they have made a clear decision, they are going to be much more open about where they are coming from," she said.
The organisation's chief executive officer, Mr Tony O'Brien, added that figures had been rising consistently over the past 15 years and that the rate of increase was unchanged.
"Even if you accept, as some would argue, that this is an increase, then it is no more of an increase than in the years when information was not available," he said.