The Government is committed to ensuring that termination of pregnancy services are available to those who need them.
In accessing these services, it is important that the woman is placed at the centre of care. We must ensure that her rights and choices are respected and protected, irrespective of whether the service is provided in-person or remotely.
In Ireland we have a blended Model of Care for early medical termination services in the community.
It is important to emphasise that while this Model does provide for remote consultation, it does so as part of a blended approach, with only one of the two consultations required for termination in early pregnancy taking place remotely. In general, the service is provided by in-person, or a blend of in-person and remote, consultation.
Full remote provision of early medical termination of pregnancy is only provided in extenuating circumstances, with trained medical staff exercising clinical judgement, and putting appropriate safeguards in place.
Exactly as is the case for an in-person consultation, medical practitioners undertaking a remote consultation remain alert for any verbal or visual cues which might raise concern about the patient’s safety.
It is worth noting that the safety of termination of pregnancy by telemedicine is endorsed by organisations with significant experience in providing termination of pregnancy care including, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), the National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service and the World Health Organisation (WHO).
