Need information on how to get an abortion? In both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, women can legally travel abroad for an abortion. If you do not have financial means to cover the costs of your abortion and travel, you can contact Abortion Support Network (ASN) by phone, email or text message. An ASN volunteer will take your number and call you back so that we pay for the cost of any calls. We will discuss your situation with you to establish what assistance you require and let you know the help we can give.
Read about ASN’s usual process for helping women – although of course every woman’s situation is different.
PLEASE NOTE: We will do our best to return all calls, texts and emails within three days. However, given the large number of women who contact us and the fact that we have limited resources, we may not be able to return all messages.
If you don’t have enough money to pay for your appointment and flights, we recommend you contact ASN before you have booked your travel to England as we cannot gaurentee that we will have enough funds to support every woman who contacts us. If you contact us before you make your arrangements, we may be able to provide you with relevant information such as which clinics have the lowest fees and the most cost effective method of travel from your location. However, we are not medical professionals or trained counsellors and we encourage all women contacting us to also speak with a local, confidential and non-judgemental family planning service for information. If we are providing a grant towards the cost of your procedure, we will pay this directly to the clinic.
If we are able to provide you with financial assistance or accommodation, we will need to obtain some information from you, including your name, how far along you are, and your financial circumstances. Your communication with ASN volunteers is non-judgemental and confidential and we will not give out your details to anyone else.
Financial Assistance
ASN is here to help lessen the financial burden of women who wish to end a pregnancy but lack the financial means to travel abroad to access a legal abortion. In addition to the discounts which some clinics, funding is available from ASN on a case by case basis, depending on your circumstances and availability of funds. We have limited funds, but try and help as many women as we can. Our grants are usually between £100-£200. You do not need to be staying overnight to qualify for a grant.
Accommodation
If you need accommodation in London, Birmingham, Liverpool or Manchester, ASN will assign one of our hosts, who will provide an appropriate sleeping area in their home for you and a friend or partner if you choose to bring one with you. They will also provide meals and pay local transportation costs when you are with them. Our hosts are not able to accommodate children, so please arrange childcare if needed. If you are staying the night after your procedure, a host will collect you from the clinic, and take you to their home. When staying the night before a procedure, they will arrange to meet you at a convenient location between the airport and their home. All ASN volunteers are carefully interviewed, screened and trained.
Help from other organisations
Family Planning Clinics
ASN volunteers are not doctors or counsellors, so we are not qualified to give you medical information about abortion or help you to make your decision. There are reputable organisations in Ireland and Northern Ireland who will talk to you confidentially and give you unbiased information on all your options, including travelling abroad for an abortion. We recommend that you contact one of these organisations if you have questions or would like to talk to a counsellor:
Ireland
- Irish Family Planning Association (Ireland) (this is a free service)
- Marie Stopes Reproductive Choices (Ireland) (100EUR charge for consultation applies)
- Dubline Well Woman Centre (this is a free service)
Northern Ireland
- fpa Northern Ireland (this is a free service)
- Brook Northern Ireland (this is a free service)
Please be aware that there are some rogue family planning ‘agencies’ in Ireland and Northern Ireland that do not provide accurate, impartial information about pregnancy and abortion options, but seek to influence your decision about abortion without disclosing their anti-abortion beliefs. In contrast, the organisations listed above are reputable, unbiased organisations.
Abortion Clinics and Providers
If you are less than 9 weeks pregnant and live in or have a friend in Northern Ireland, you can contact Women on Web, a reputable non-profit organisation which can send you medical abortion pills through the post. Women on Web may also be able to help if you live in the Republic of Ireland or another country where abortion is illegal.
Below is a list of organisations that provide abortions. Some of them discount their fees for women travelling from Ireland, and some provide a taxi service to and from the nearest airport or train station. Ensure that you ask about discounts and other assistance when booking your appointment with the clinic.
Need to cover your tracks?
Web
If you don’t want anyone to know that you have visited this (or any) website, you can erase your web usage history. Erase your web history for Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome or Safari. Alternatively, use Portable Firefox, a web browser which does not leave personal information (including usage history) on the computer.
Be aware that the owner or administrator of the computer may still be able to monitor websites you visit.
If you think someone is monitoring your internet usage, your safest option is to access the internet from a neutral place such as a friend’s house, your work, an internet café or local library.
Email
If you want to email us without leaving a copy in your “Sent” folder, use the form on our Contact Us page.
Phone
The ASN phone is a UK mobile phone, so if you have an itemised bill the number will show but not the name of our organisation. If you wish to hide the fact that you’ve called a UK mobile, then consider using an international calling service.
