Thousands of Women Forced to Travel Abroad for Abortion Services, New Investigation Reveals
Dublin: Thousands of women across Europe continue to travel abroad each year to access abortion care due to legal, medical, or systemic barriers in their home countries, according to a new cross-border investigation. The findings highlight ongoing challenges despite the legalisation of abortion in several European countries, including Ireland.
The investigation, led by Spanish news outlet Público and supported by a network of journalists across Europe, estimates that 5,860 women travelled to other countries in 2023 to obtain abortion services unavailable to them domestically. This phenomenon, often referred to as the “exporting of abortion”, underscores the persistent obstacles to reproductive healthcare across the continent.
Researchers found that the primary reason for many of these journeys is that women often discover their pregnancies after the legal time limit for abortion has passed in their home country. In other cases, access to abortion is limited by a lack of medical support, administrative delays, or restrictive legal frameworks.
In Ireland, where abortion was legalised following a historic referendum in 2018, the report reveals that barriers to access still remain. Between 2019 and 2023, an estimated 27,200 women travelled abroad from Ireland to seek abortions. The actual number may be higher, as several countries have not released complete data. For instance, Belgium has yet to publish statistics for 2022 and 2023, the UK has not released its 2023 figures, and Switzerland only began collecting such data in 2022.
The report also highlights a concerning trend in countries with strict abortion laws, such as Poland and Malta, where increasing numbers of women are resorting to ordering abortion pills online and taking them without medical supervision, potentially risking their health.
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