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In Ireland, there is a euphemism of “going to England” or “taking the boat”. It refers to women who have abortions. Because up until recently, the only way you could access an abortion was to do it in a different country, usually England.
Women would have to seek kindness, compassion and medical care in the arms of strangers because our state refused to acknowledge their existence
With the growth of the Internet, women started ordering illegal abortion pills online, taking them at home, in secret. But this could be dangerous. Abortion carries a 14 year prison sentence.
If you were worried or had complications after taking the abortion pill, you couldn’t go to your doctor.
The 8th Amendment also affected hospital consent policies. The consent of a pregnant woman was not needed for doctors to carry out medical procedures they saw fit. While pregnant, an Irish woman is the property of the state.
It is estimated that 10 women a day travel from Ireland to access abortion while 3 per day take illegal abortion pills. These estimates are rough as many women give false names/addresses at UK clinics and the figure for abortion pills can never truly be known.
