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Women buying abortion online

Irish women are buying drugs online to enable abortions at home, according to new research.

The study, published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, looked at 400 women from 70 countries, including Ireland, who had used one of the main websites, Women on Web (WOW), to buy the drugs misoprostol and mifepristone.
Of the 400 women, the study found that eight per cent did end up not using the medication, but almost 11 per cent suffered from complications and needed further medical help.

WOW, a not-for-profit organisation, has argued that they provide access to safe, legal termination services, information and support. They said their service should only be used in the first nine weeks of pregnancy and by women who live in countries where safe abortion is illegal.

In cases of complications, WOW advises women that they can present themselves as having a miscarriage if they live in a country where they might face prosecution if admitting to having a termination.

Ireland is listed by the website as failing to provide safe terminations. The Family Planning Association in Northern Ireland said that while the WOW website was ‘reputable’, for Irish women, it was ‘encouraging them to break the law’.

Posted in Public Health on 18 July 2008
Tags: abortion