Dr. Patricia Lohr:

I will take the last question first, about the risks of surgical and medical abortions. Proportionally, early medical abortions have a slightly higher rate of complications than surgical abortions. It is the profile of the complications that differs. With a surgical abortion a woman runs a very low but present risk of cervical or uterine injury. The most common complications of medical abortion are relatively minor, for example, some retain tissue that might need an additional intervention, although the bleeding risks are certainly higher.

In response to the question of whether women come into our clinics looking for a medical abortion and we tell them they cannot have it because they are there only for a day, we always try to meet the woman's request with regard to the method of abortion. We would never prevent a woman having a certain form of abortion but we would talk with her about the process involved. We would be honest about the regimen for early medical abortion which typically occurs over two days. Under the law in England and Wales - now Scotland is different – a woman must come into the clinic to receive both sets of medications. We would describe the process to her and assess her medical eligibility for either regimen and would leave it to her to decide. For all intents and purposes, however, from a practical point of view, most women coming from Ireland need to come and go in the same day. They have already had to gather the funds to pay for the abortion and travel so to add an overnight stay and another day away from work or home is too difficult. That is why the majority of those women choose surgical procedures.

The Deputy asked about differing reasons for abortion at different ages. We do see differences. Teenagers, those younger than 20, are often unable to care for a child, they may still be in school and it is not optimal for them to have a child. Women in their 20s and 30s are often looking to delay childbirth. We have seen the age of first time motherhood has gone up in the UK, as in many countries. Women are delaying childbirth for several years and it is important to note that most women in the UK are using contraceptive methods but all contraceptive methods have a failure rate and in typical use the failure rate for example, of the oral contraceptive pill is approximately nine in 100. If a woman is trying to prevent pregnancy for ten or 15 years it is possible, even if she is using her contraceptive method absolutely the way it is supposed to be used, that she might experience a contraceptive failure and if she is not ready to parent she will seek an abortion. Older women typically have completed their childbearing, for example, they did not expect to be able to get pregnant. They already have children and are seeking termination often for those reasons.

The last question was about contraception and I have forgotten what the Deputy asked, I am so sorry.