HSE reveals 9300 calls made to MyOptions abortion helpline in first eight months

More than 9,300 calls were made to the HSE’s unplanned pregnancy helpline in the first eight months of this year.

They include 244 calls from women who had passed the 12-week limit for an abortion on request with no questions asked.

When abortion services became legal on January 1, the HSE set up a support service called My Options. It provides information on continued pregnancy supports and how to access abortion.

In the first eight months of this year, there were 9,319 calls in all made to the helpline.

While nearly 6,300 people discussed pregnancies of less than 12 weeks, 244 people had passed the legal limit for an abortion.

A hundred children contacted the service in the first eight months of this year, along with 88 women over the age of 45.