Vol. 415 No. 7
109 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on the situation whereby over 1,000 Irish women had abortions in England between April and June, 1991 and whereby a total of 1,012 women from the Republic had abortions in England in the June quarter which is the highest recorded for any foreign country and almost as high as the total of 1,016 for all the other European countries.
It is unfortunate and tragic that Irish women should feel that abortion is the only resource available to them when faced with an unwanted pregnancy.
There is a wide range of counselling and support services available in Ireland to women who are in unplanned pregnancies and I would urge them to avail of such services, which are provided by trained and experienced personnel. Comprehensive information and advice in relation to family planning is available through a range of personnel including family doctors and family planning clinics.
