Hi all, I am not originally from Ireland, so all this is very shocking and I’m so stressed right now with how difficult accessing abortion services seems to be over here. I have found out I am in the very early stages of pregnancy (around 6 weeks), I live in a very rural area and do not currently have access to a car. I am desperately looking online on how to get an abortion and it appears to be a nightmare in this country. I am unable currently to travel back to the UK to access one. I have tried seeing if my local doctors provide this service and the closest is 2 hours away and I cannot get there, I’ve no family and no friends over here that can help me. I don’t want my partner to find out about the pregnancy. I have tried looking online, in the UK we can get pills by post, and I’ve been trying to see if there is anything similar over here and have been unsuccessful. I have found one site in Canada that will ship them over but it will take 2 weeks, €120 and risks being caught by customs. I have been calling so many places and I am just having no luck.
Please has anyone been in a similar situation or have any advice or know of anything I can do?
If by any chance you are based in Sligo/Mayo area, I will drive you if you’d be comfortable with that
If your based in Donegal, Sligo I can take you.
You’re such a great person for offering this:)
Waterford/Wexford transport available from me either 🖤
Westmeath / Longford area here if you need help getting to doctor
We are and always have been fundamentally pro choice in my home and you wouldn’t be the first woman helped in an hour of need
And no one will ever know. My home is also available if you need to rest in safe space (unsure what situation with partner is but offering)
Be safe OP I’m so sorry our system is like this
Pm if you're in Wicklow/Wexford and need a lift
OP if you’re not in a situation where your partner or someone else can bring you to the GP (they don’t necessarily need to know why you’re going) then I would also suggest contacting women’s aid. It sounds like your situation is not safe. Hope you can get all the help you need ❤️
Try contacting ASN - abortion support network. They should be able to answer all your questions and they also provide financial assistance https://www.asn.org.uk/get-help/
Try my options
Is there a bus or train you can get?
Hi, thank you all so much for your kind and supportive messages. I have read every single one and I appreciate all of you so much. I’ve felt really alone recently and it’s so good to know there are always kind people who are so willing to help. I am based in Donegal, sorry I left that out of the post. I do have GP’s near me but they do not provide an abortion service, the closest that does is about 2 hours away. I do usually have access to a car, it is currently with the Garda for forensics as it was badly damaged recently, and my work place has just made everyone redundant, so it’s been an insanely stressful time.
I have always been so careful taking birth control, and my periods have never been very regular so finding out and then realizing the time frame I have to work with and the difficulty of being in my current situation without a car and just being made redundant has just been so so stressful as well as dealing with it alone. I’m just super emotional right now, but I have read all comments and I will sit and read them all again carefully and begin reaching out to those who have so kindly offered to help. I didn’t expect this to feel as much of a safe space as it has shown to be, I am just desperately trying to find out my options.
And thank you to everyone who has offered to help drive me anywhere, I appreciate it so much.
Not sure where in Donegal you are but you could ask the women's center to point you in the right direction. You can probably talk on the phone to them about it. Also there is the myoptions service. Best of luck
OP where are you in the country? If you're near enough to me then I'll help you out.
My options are super. They’re trained counsellors and have loads of information on services nationwide. Please call them, you’re not alone x
If only 6 weeks your GP may be able to facilitate a medical termination of pregnancy (TOP) at home for you (using oral medication). Can you call them tomorrow first thing?
OP, if you're near Kildare, Lucan, Leixlip, I can drive you to wherever you need to go
Hi OP, I am based in Co. Galway, if you’re near me or around Athlone, Roscommon areas I have a car and can help. PM me in confidence.
2 hours from a GP? I live in the wilds of Donegal and that seems insane to me! If you're in this area let me know and Ill do mt best to help you.
I live rurally and wanted medication after a miscarriage and my local GP wouldn’t prescribe it to me (I was less than the 9 week requirement, this GP “didn’t feel comfortable” doing it) and told me to drive 90minutes to hospital. So a 2 hour journey could be the closest available service to the OP.
Maybe their local GP has mafe a conscientious objection, but in that case they have a legal obligation to refer them to a service provider that will offer them abortion services. The hospital would be almost 2 hours from us too so I can understand that for sure.
It’s shocking really that accessing basic healthcare services can be so difficult.
Hi op I'm based in Donegal and my best friend is a doctor who provides abortion services please reach out if I can help you
Hi, I tried to send you a message, not sure if it’s sent or not :)
Where are you based op? My options if you ring them will set it up and put you to the closest gp offering the service. Ring them, they really are good.
My Options are very helpful please call them, they can give you a list of GPs closest to you offering abortion services, you can attend any GP you don’t have to be a patient. Well Woman Clinic in Dublin also offer this. What area are you living in?
https://www2.hse.ie/services/unplanned-pregnancy/support-services/my-options-freephone/?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=2041331019&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvOjKBhC9ARIsAFvz5lhbIxry7VZreHk3rivtiRXsftjEzjx6mnefix4PRteC9xxCvCY--10aAjflEALw_wcB.
Hi Op please phone my options -info listed here -they can help
I can help with a lift if you're in the southeast. Alternatively, I can book you a taxi into your GP and pay for it
Check out Alliance for Choice on Instagram. They should be able to help or point you in the right direction.
If you're within a couple of hours of Dublin I can help you this week.
can you not get a cab into town and then bus service?
do you have your own income at all? You could probably walk to a neighbour and ask for a lift into town. Most neighbours will help. If you can't afford a cab.
https://consult.womenhelp.org/en/get-abortion-pills?z_language=en
is a site based in Netherlands, i believe, the pills should get here much sooner
If you’re around Kildare or surrounding counties I can help x
If you are on the East Coast I will drive to help you.
If I had a car I would definitely take you
I hope everything works out 🙏🏾
I'm sorry to hear you've been struggling.
Do you have a GP here? Have they said they don't provide the service? Or is that the GP that is 2 hours away? Transport can be arranged if you can book in somewhere to be seen.
Where are you located OP?
There are GP's that can help if you call the HSE line for abortions. Its truly non-judgemental and they'll direct you to a GP who can give you an appointment usually within 7 days. Otherwise if you're in the south, I'm happy to provide transport!
I’m in cork so can’t offer a drive, but happy to Revolut you the price of transport if needed.
The service will be free so at least that!
I can vouch for this service which is still active, Women Help Women https://womenhelp.org They will post out the pills to you, it will arrive in a matter of days and they only ask for a donation for their service. Good luck OP.
As someone who has had a termination I would suggest you try to get help as close as possible and you're going to need painkillers if you did anything at home. Please take up one of these lovely people offering a lift. You could need an extra tablet and it wouldn't be safe if you had to wait for another delivery. Make sure you get plenty of rest and take care of yourself
You can get it done in a maternity hospital and stay there for the duration of it! If you are able to get a doctor to write you a referral.
OP I haven’t stopped thinking about you
Did you get looked after pet?
Hi! I had mine in the well woman’s centre in Dublin. I don’t know where you are in the country but there’s a few scattered around. The process was fast, free, and confidential. Best of luck to you 🫶🏽wishing you all the best
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Bit judgemental. There’s plenty of things that could be inconveniently blocking her.
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It's a decision not a huge decision
You have obviously not been in the position to need one and that’s fine. But don’t kid yourself. Even though we repealed the 8th there are still people travelling to the UK to avail of abortions services because it’s not as straight forward (or as easily accessible as you say) as people think it is to get one here so I’m not surprised at all to see this post.
The OP, as I understand it, is posting due to finding it difficult to access the service that they need, in this case an abortion due to lack of transportation. Now you are instigating whole other conversation about reasons why/when and how it can be difficult to access abortion in this country, and im aware it can be due to a host of reasons but travelling 2 hours should not be one of them. I’m also so surprised at the amount of people condoning getting pills on the internet to DIY it. That could be so dangerous.
There really is nowhere in Ireland that is 2 hours away from a GP. Chances are their GP won’t help. Which is very common and the next place she can go is 2 hours away which is probably a hospital. And that is the barrier that shouldn’t exist.
The OP has stated it’s 2 hours away. That’s all I can go on. OP can ring My Options which are extremely helpful and will advise her on her nearest GP that offers termination. I’d imagine she has already done this and found the closest is 2 hrs away. If she hasn’t done this already, she might find there is a closer GP that offers it.