Abortion drugs are still being ordered over the internet from abroad and are continuing to be seized by Irish customs officials, despite them being legally available through GP clinics in Ireland since January 1.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) confiscated nine abortifacient tablets, all containing mifepristone, in January, according to figures supplied to the Sunday Independent.
A total of 740 abortifacient tablets – 711 containing misoprostol and 29 mifepristone – were confiscated by the HPRA during 2018, up from 487 in 2016.
During the repeal of the 8th amendment campaign, it was frequently said that the practice of women ordering such pills online and taking them privately was dangerous and the only way to rectify the situation was to make such lethal drugs legally and widely available in this country. Pro-life spokespersons countered that the illegal trade in such drugs continues in the UK and all over Europe despite them being legally available in those countries.
