This is an extremely long, boring thread about data collection but I want to be clear at the outset: When we look at today's abortion figures, we should think about the individuals behind them: what matters ultimately is that anyone who needs abortion can access it safely &timely
The statistics tell us that more than 6,600 people accessed abortion care here last year & they were from all parts of Ireland. 98% of abortions took place in the 1st trimester, reflecting international evidence that when abortion care is available, people will access it early.
I am so relieved that all these individuals were able to access care at home. I'm grateful to the healthcare providers that worked under extreme pressure to establish and deliver this service. And I'm proud of all of us who campaigned for repeal.
We also know from 2019 UK statistics that 375 people gave Irish addresses when accessing abortion so not everyone who needs care can access it here. Meeting the needs of this cohort should be a key focus of the review of the abortion law, which is due to take place next year.
The review should be also informed by detailed domestic data, but today’s statistics don’t provide that. If we want to enhance service delivery, we need good info on how people access care. What gestation are patients presenting at? What proportion access care in the community?
What is the age profile of service-users? The statistics tell us women’s county of residence – this doesn’t mean they accessed care in this county. What is the geographical distribution of services? Is it sufficient to ensure care is accessible locally?
We know that abortion care in Ireland is heavily weighted towards medical abortion – what proportion of women are accessing surgical abortion? Can we develop services in a way that ensures all patients are offered a choice of method?
And what about access to contraception? We know that cost is still a barrier and progress on the development of a state-funded scheme has stalled. What is the uptake of contraception post-abortion? Are people able to access the contraceptive method that works for them?
The notification system set out in the 2018 Act doesn’t give us any of this info. It perpetuates abortion stigma and inhibits the normalisation of this aspect of reproductive healthcare. In what world is it normal or useful to notify the Minister about every single abortion??
It constitutes an administrative burden for healthcare providers with no public health rationale as the information gathered is insufficient to inform service planning.
I want to read good, detailed abortion statistics, published alongside other public health data (i.e. not as a stand-alone report on the Dept of Health website). I want to understand how the service is working and how we can make it better and ensure care is accessible to all.
tl;dr: more, better data, please.
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