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	A free helpline for women who have used online abortion pills is to be launched across Ireland.</p>
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	The confidential &quot;aftercare&quot; support from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) will provide reassurance and advice for those who have taken tablets ordered from two websites.</p>
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	Strict laws surround terminations on both sides of the Irish border and BPAS said some women may not seek help as they knew they were committing a criminal offence.</p>
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	Chief executive Ann Furedi said: &quot;What these women really need are accessible, high-quality abortion services at home.</p>
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	&quot;They shouldn&#39;t have to make the choice between travelling to England and breaking the law by purchasing pills online.</p>
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	&quot;While we wait for politicians to do the right thing, BPAS will provide telephone aftercare to women who have bought pills online from these two women&#39;s organisations and who want to speak to someone in confidence about what they are experiencing, or who simply need a reassuring voice at the end of the line.</p>
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	&quot;We will be here for these women 24 hours a day until they no longer need us.&quot;</p>
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	In Northern Ireland the maximum penalty for the crime of administering a drug to induce miscarriage under the Offences Against The Person Act 1861, is life imprisonment.</p>
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	In April a 21-year-old woman was handed a suspended sentence by a judge in Belfast after she bought drugs on the internet to induce a miscarriage because she could not afford to fly to England for a lawful termination.</p>
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	In the Irish Republic, the offence of procuring an abortion carries a potential 14-year jail term.</p>
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	The new helpline staffed by nurses will be advertised in newspapers in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man.</p>
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	It will offer advice to women who have obtained pills from two websites and who are concerned about any symptoms or who want to speak to someone.</p>
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	The advisory service said: &quot;Women in these areas are increasingly using this option as the logistics and costs of travel, treatment and accommodation can be prohibitive.&quot;</p>
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	Dawn McAvoy, spokeswoman for the Evangelical Alliance, said women needed support, not a publicity stunt.</p>
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	&quot;Groups need to work together to provide the best possible care for women and children within the current law, because both lives matter.</p>
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	&quot;We want Northern Ireland to continue to value the life and health of the woman and the unborn child, advancing the wellbeing of both because both lives matter.&quot;</p>
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	(Published by the Irish Independent on the 1st September 2016)</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/irish-news/helpline-to-be-launched-for-women-who-used-abortion-pills-bought-online-35012268.html">http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/irish-news/helpline-to-be-launched-for-women-who-used-abortion-pills-bought-online-35012268.html</a></p>
