Dr. Caitriona Henchion:

A considerable number of women in direct provision may attend the IFPA. It is the easiest group to identify as experiencing further layers of obstacles and discrimination. The reason for that is that such women do not have documents. In order to get documents to travel, they must make disclosures of their situation to non-health care providers. They have to get a travel document that must be stamped in a Garda station. An undocumented migrant seeking asylum will automatically be very fearful of having to go to a Garda station. They also have to go to the Department of Justice.

They have to disclose their situation, get an entry visa for the country in which they plan to go to and a re-entry visa for Ireland. All of these documents cost money, yet, without having any income, they are expected also to be able to find the money to travel and to pay for an abortion. If they wish to seek help in that regard, they again have to make further disclosures of their health situation possibly to a charity or other agencies, from which they might try to get funding.