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Irish couple livetweets journey to get a legal, safe abortion

Ireland has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the Western world.

 

Jessica Machado

IRL

Posted on Nov 10, 2016   Updated on May 25, 2021, 2:54 pm CDT

This morning a couple in Ireland set out on a daylong trek to Liverpool, England, to get an abortion. Since the procedure is illegal in their home country, the couple decided to livetweet the entire experience to “enlighten those who do not want to listen or even allow the people of this country to decide for themselves.”

The couple says in a tweet that the fetus had a fatal abnormality called Edwards syndrome. “We were told even if carried to full term, the period of life would be counted in minutes and hours after birth,” they wrote. Ireland has a constitutional ban on abortions, and in July, parliament shut down a bill that would’ve made the exception for fatal fetal abnormalities. 

For their journey, the couple had to leave their young son at home for a “procedure that could be carried 20 minutes from home in a risk-free environment.” The pair left has since traveled by plane, bus, and car to get the safe Liverpool facility.





More than 3,400 people have followed their journey on Twitter. Two women livetweeted about a similar trek to get an abortion in August, which even garnered the attention of Ireland’s minister of health.

A few hours ago, the couple updated that all went well and the woman is in recovering nicely. 

H/T Mashable


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*First Published: Nov 10, 2016, 4:11 pm CST