Should I Get an Abortion in England?
- According to the UK Department of Health and Social Care, 161 women travelled from Northern Ireland to Britain to obtain an abortion in 2021.
- While abortion under 12 weeks is fully accessible in Northern Ireland, some abortion services — particularly for abortions beyond 12 weeks gestation — are more difficult to access and necessitate travel to England or Wales.
- The number of Northern Irish women travelling to England for an abortion has decreased in recent years, as abortion services have become more widely accessible, following changes to the legal framework in 2019.
You may like: ⚖️ Should I get an abortion? — Take the Abortion Test
The Two Main Reasons Why Women Travel for an Abortion:
📦 Availability:
Northern Ireland has few abortion clinics and does not perform late-term abortions. BPAS (British Pregnancy and Advisory Service) is the only access point to abortion in Northern Ireland. For local pregnancy support options:
- Go to Support Near Me
🚫 Restrictions:
Have you already passed the gestational limit for Northern Ireland? While abortion is legal up until 20 weeks of pregnancy, abortion services on the ground are difficult to access beyond 12 weeks and would invariably require travel to England or Wales.
How far along am I? Use our Pregnancy Tracker to find out!
Logistics of Abortion Tourism
Specific aspects need to be considered when thinking about travelling for an abortion:
Effort:
A long-distance abortion takes extra planning, time and coordination. Travelling to another country such as England, Scotland or Wales requires a passport, like any other international trip.
If you have a surgical abortion under sedation, you will not be able to drive yourself and must arrange for someone to travel with you.
Method:
Making long-distance arrangements may create delays leading to a higher gestational age. This may eliminate abortion methods that are only available in the first trimester.
🏥 Are you wondering which abortion method to use? Take our Abortion Methods Test
Wait Times:
With a mandatory waiting period of 3 days in place in Northern Ireland, any delays to the time-sensitive procedure must be taken into consideration for women wanting to travel for an abortion.
⌛ Does your area require wait times or mandatory counselling? Find out at Wait Time for an Abortion Appointment
Comfort:
The further you travel, the less likely you are to have the accompaniment of a parent or friend to comfort and take care of you. You will also be in unaccustomed surroundings and must travel after the abortion, which can be physically taxing.
Even if your surgery was completed under local anaesthesia, driving after surgery is not recommended, as you are likely to experience bleeding, cramping and fatigue for at least 24 hours.
- Wondering which type of anaesthesia to choose? Go to Which Type of Anaesthesia
Do not plan on travelling while the second round of abortion pills is taking effect. On that day you can expect heavy bleeding and cramping.
- For more information go to The Abortion Pill Mifegyne ®
Unintended Pregnancy — Now What?
Perhaps you just found out you are pregnant while living in Northern Ireland, where access to abortion is not always straightforward. Or maybe you are already further along in your pregnancy. Your situation may have recently changed, causing you to consider abortion — but you already passed the gestational limit for your region. The reasons for considering abortion tourism are as manifold as the lived experiences.
No matter the circumstances, your situation would be anything but easy, and you probably feel under a great deal of pressure. Your concerns are probably ceaselessly buffeting you, leaving little room to think.
Abortion would be one way to silence your anxious thoughts, but we believe you are worth more than a quick fix.
Therefore, our professional counsellors have created judgement-free tests which serve as a sounding board, assisting you in your decision-making process:
- 🚦 Should I Take the Abortion Pill — Quiz
- ⛑ First Aid Test
- 🍷🚬Tobacco/alcohol/drugs: Has my consumption hurt the baby?
