Dr. Caitriona Henchion:

With regard to the question on rogue agencies, the counsellors certainly encounter women from time to time who made initial contact with an agency that has an agenda to deter women from seeking abortions. The usual issue that arises is that the woman will have been delayed. There will have been several appointments and she will have been delayed in seeking care. Obviously, we do not know if some women are deterred completely because if that is the case, we will not see them. However, the counsellors see women who have had negative experiences in such agencies.

In terms of the socio-economic effects on mental health, particularly in respect of pregnancy, socio-economic factors and mental health are very much intertwined in every aspect of life. Sometimes the socio-economic burden of an unintended pregnancy can have a negative effect on somebody's mental health. It becomes very difficult to separate those issues because in most such cases, many different issues are present. Obviously, if somebody is concerned about, perhaps, an abusive partner, this becomes much more likely and it is more likely that her mental health will suffer if she is in a pregnancy she feels she cannot manage. The two issues are very much intertwined.