What is the Role of Crisis Pregnancy Counselling in Ireland Post-Liberalisation of Abortion Law?

Aims/Background

The Regulation of Information (Services Outside the State for Termination of Pregnancies) Act 1995 stipulated that information about abortion services available outside Ireland had to be provided in the context of one-to-one counselling alongside information about parenting and adoption. Provision of this information fell largely to crisis pregnancy counselling (CPC) services. However, little attention has been paid to the role of CPC since the liberalisation of Irish abortion law in 2019.

Design/Methods

The present study entails secondary analysis of data gathered from two qualitative interview-based studies (one with 58 people accessing abortion care in Ireland post-2019 and one with seven counsellors with experience of providing CPC pre- and post-2019) and asks ‘What is the role of CPC in Ireland post-liberalisation of Irish abortion law?’.

Results

The accounts of CPC providers demonstrated a belief that public perception of the service was that it was solely related to abortion. People accessing abortion care viewed CPC as primarily associated with decision-making support, support largely perceived as unnecessary. Nonetheless, they also identified value in CPC both for themselves and others. Perspectives on future directions for CPC were offered.

Conclusion

While counsellors view CPC as having moved away from pregnancy resolution decision-making, this perception remains prevalent among abortion service users. Greater public awareness efforts are required to communicate to potential service users that CPC is client-led, and not solely focused on abortion-related decision-making. Stronger referral systems between community-based CPC services and hospital-based abortion care are needed. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.