Regional services: Women outside Dublin seeking crisis pregnancy counselling and emergency contraception face a significant shortage of provisions, a new report shows.
The Dublin Well Woman Centre's annual report for 2004 highlights "worrying gaps" in service provision around the country. Some 32 per cent of clients who received crisis pregnancy counselling at the centre last year travelled from other parts of Ireland. In addition, 12 per cent of those attending the walk-in Sunday contraception clinic in 2004 came from outside Dublin.
Alison Begas, chief executive of Dublin Well Woman, said the centre had been "stunned" by the range of addresses given, with some women travelling from as far as Donegal to receive the morning-after pill.
Ms Begas said many local GPs were not open at weekends and, while the Crisis Pregnancy Agency had made improvements in regional provisions with clinics in towns like Letterkenny and Ballinasloe, these were available only on a part-time basis. Research has shown that women, particularly those in smaller towns, are reluctant to visit their family GP as they fear judgmental attitudes and a loss of anonymity. The report states that "quantitative research is needed to establish the scope of this problem".
Ms Begas recommends improving provisions at a local level, and a change in attitudes towards contraception and abortion in the long term. "Abortion is not discussed calmly or rationally at present. It's all about improving access and removing barriers to emergency birth control," she said.