For many people the issue of abortion in Ireland was resolved in the wake of the 2018 referendum repealing the Eighth Amendment.
However, for Emma Connors, who received the devastating news that her unborn baby had what she was told initially was a fatal foetal abnormality in early 2019, the legislation was insufficient and did not ensure she could have the medical care and attention she needed at home.
While the legislation which came in the wake of the referendum was invoked positively by most of the 58 women who took part in an Unplanned Pregnancy and Abortion Care (UnPAC) study, published this week, some felt abandoned by the State.
The study of the experiences of women who sought abortion between December 2019 and August 2021 was commissioned by the Health Service Executive (HSE) under section 7 of the 2018 Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act, requiring a review of its working within three years of commencement.
According to the study, women who sought and were denied terminations for medical reasons, however, “felt absolutely let down and devastated at what they felt was a failure by the State to live up to the spirit of repeal”.
It also found that while the roll-out of early medical abortion (EMA), up to 12 weeks, is working reasonably well, prohibitive conditions for some women, and “problematic” treatment of women in crisis by some GPs is a concern.
Emma Connors talks to In The News about her experience after being told her unborn baby would not survive while Irish Times Social Affairs Correspondent Kitty Holland provides the context contained in the report and outlines what impact it might have.
