A senator in Ireland has called for an independent review of telemedicine abortion after Letterkenny Circuit Court heard evidence of an unknown man coercing his girlfriend into taking abortion pills.
On Tuesday, the court heard how a man in his 20s forced a woman, also in her twenties, to take abortion pills at a location in County Donegal on Valentine’s Day in 2020.
Vital evidence from the man’s phone was only uncovered fours years after the assault took place, RTE reports.
Search history contained information on how to conduct an at-home abortion using the tablets.
The phone also contained an audio recording of the incident from when the tablets were forced upon the woman.
A transcript was made available two weeks prior to the listing of the trial. Some recordings from the audio were played in court, among them: “I’m showing you what to do… take this… I’m dead serious… I’m forcing you. I don’t care, take it.”
A garda (police officer) told the court that the man was following a process that he researched, and that the woman was crying throughout the recording.
The man allegedly locked his victim in a room. After experiencing cramping, significant bleeding and great pain, the woman lost her nine-week gestation baby. She was able to call police when the man went out to purchase a pregnancy test, whereupon he was arrested.
In a victim impact statement that she read into the court, the woman said the ordeal did not end when the crime was over, that it became something she carried in her body, mind, and heart.
“When he wrongfully imprisoned me and caused the termination of my nine-week pregnancy, he took far more than my freedom,” she said.
She added: “He took my child. He took my sense of safety. He took a future that I had already begun to plan and love.
“My baby was real to me. I had hopes, dreams, and a bond with the life that was growing inside me, and all of it was violently stolen from me in a moment of cruelty that I will never forget,” the woman said.
She said the fact that this happened on Valentine’s Day made the pain deeper, and a day meant to represent and celebrate love became the day the man showed hatred toward her and her unborn child.
“While the world celebrated love, I was trapped, terrified, and losing my baby at the hands of someone I thought I could trust, who instead chose violence and not care.”
As a result of the case, Senator Sarah O’Reilly of Aontú is calling for an independent review of telemedicine abortion (reported by Gript). As in England, Scotland and Wales, telemedicine abortion was introduced in Ireland during the Covid period and remains in place to this day; following a virtual consultation, women can receive abortion pills by post to have an abortion (usually up to 10-12 weeks) at home.
Senator O’Reilly said: “This woman was not simply unsupported, she was forced into an abortion. To see such an act of violence inflicted on a vulnerable young woman is heartbreaking. When consultations take place remotely, it is more difficult to be certain that a woman is safe and not being coerced into having an abortion. We can’t simply ignore the fact that telemedicine abortion means there is a greater risk to women and their wellbeing,” she said.
While noting that the Minister for Health previously cited a 2021 HSE review which concluded that telemedicine abortion was safe and effective, Senator O’Reilly said the Donegal case demonstrates the need for a new and fully independent review with a specific focus on coercion and abuse.
“A review that looks only at reported clinical events is not enough. We need to examine whether the system is adequately protecting women from coercion and gender-based violence”
She called on the Minister for Health and the HSE to commission an immediate independent review of telemedicine abortion provision to assess screening processes, safeguarding measures and supports for women at risk.
“This is about protecting women. No woman should ever be forced into abortion through fear, pressure or control.”
In the UK, SPUC has also been calling for a review of the pills by post policy. There are two actions that people interested in this campaign can take:
- Write to your MP, asking them to call for a review of the pills by post policy. You can use our online tool.
- In addition to the amendment on decriminalising abortion, peers in the House of Lords are expected to debate one on ending the pills by post policy at Report Stage. You can write to peers here.
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