Abortion Im/mobility: Spatial Consequences in the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

<jats:p> In the context of Ireland’s new legislation governing abortion, I outline and examine the spatial consequences of political decision-making. I argue that Ireland’s new abortion law and its clinical guidance permit travel for some pregnant people but impose fixity on others. I analyse the spatial consequences of legal limitations, including non-medically necessary delays in care and medical control of medication abortions, that necessitate travel for abortion. I demonstrate how current laws fix some pregnant people in place, including diverse migrant populations within Ireland, with no possibilities for abortion-related travel. This critique of the ‘new’ law demonstrates the Irish state’s continued political and medical control of abortion. </jats:p>

From Feminist Anarchy to Decolonisation: Understanding Abortion Health Activism Before and After the Repeal of the 8th Amendment

“…In addition to the practical provision of care, it became more public about the fact that the people to whom they provided care were limited from accessing abortions not just by Irish law but by the financial and logistical burdens of access (a point they also raised in their submission to the Citizens’ Assembly on the repeal of the 8 th Amendment in 2017). While these barriers would be reduced as abortion became available on the island of Ireland, it was clear that many women would still have to travel for services within and perhaps beyond Ireland (see Side, 2020, this issue). Furthermore, although early medical abortion procedures would be free, some abortion seekers without medical cards (including migrants) would have to meet the cost of painkillers and additional medications themselves.…”

Abortion in Ireland: Introduction to the Themed Issue

“…That victory was, of course, only partial. The mindsets that the 8 th Amendment had inculcated are hard to shift and the new law, the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, which finally passed in December 2018 and came into force in January 2019, is deeply problematic in ways documented throughout this issue (de Londras, 2020; Side, 2020) and elsewhere (MERJ, 2019). The bruises of the campaign itself also remain, especially for those who were marginalised within an official campaign that apprehended loss and thus focused on the so-called middle ground.…”

“…The campaign too largely ignored the difficulties of access to abortion for people of colour, migrants with precarious legal status in Ireland, trans people, young people, people in abusive and controlling relationships (MERJ, 2019). These are the same people who continue to feel the sharpest edges of the restrictions of Irish law, too often left behind by the new legislation, still relying on travel, self-managed abortion and the mutual aid of feminist activism to escape from undesired pregnancy (MERJ, 2019; de Londras, 2020, this issue; Duffy, 2020, this issue; Side, 2020, this issue). Migrant and trans reproductive rights activists in particular continue to make (righteous) demands for atonement from the official campaign, and much work remains to be done (de Londras, forthcoming).…”

“…Migrant and trans reproductive rights activists in particular continue to make (righteous) demands for atonement from the official campaign, and much work remains to be done (de Londras, forthcoming). Women whose mobility is limited will also continue to face high barriers to accessing abortion under the new law, Katherine Side (2020, this issue) shows: restrictions—like mandatory waiting periods that necessitate multiple visits to a doctor—are lived as spatial requirements by people living in rural areas, people in Direct Provision and other marginalised groups.…”

Fiona Bloomer , Claire Pierson and Sylvia Estrada Claudio (2020), Reimagining Global Abortion Politics: A Social Justice Perspective, Bristol: Policy Press, £24.99, pp. 176, pbk.

“…Those who cannot afford this or are migrants or asylum seekers-requiring additional visas or have travel restrictions, navigate additional barriers in order to access care. Despite legalisation of abortion in Ireland, some women still continue to travel for abortion care [2].…”