TERMINATIONS FOR MEDICAL
REASONS IRELAND

Please vote YES on
the 25th of May

Who are TFMR?

TFMR stands for Termination For Medical Reasons. TFMR Ireland is made up of parents who received a diagnosis of a fatal or severe foetal anomaly during pregnancy. We were refused termination of pregnancy services and had to either travel abroad to end our pregnancies at the time of our choosing or continue our pregnancies in Ireland against our wills.

Why are we supporting the
Repeal the 8th Campaign

We are supporting the Repeal the 8th campaign as we believe parents who receive a diagnosis of fatal or severe foetal anomaly should be able to access appropriate healthcare in their own country. We believe parents should be treated with dignity and respect in this most tragic situation.

What is a fatal foetal anomaly?

Sometimes a woman will be told that her developing baby is likely to die before or shortly after birth. This is often referred to as a fatal foetal anomaly or fatal foetal abnormality. A woman will experience a wide range of complex emotions when told of such a profound problem with her pregnancy. In these circumstances a woman needs support from her family and doctor to make a decision to continue with her pregnancy or end it before term. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommends that following the decision to end a pregnancy due to foetal anomaly, women should be offered the choice of either medical or surgical termination. Both options are safe and effective, and have no effect on subsequent pregnancies. Currently in Ireland doctors cannot support women to end their pregnancies in such difficult circumstances. A woman who decides to end her pregnancy following such a diagnosis must travel abroad to seek care from doctors that she has never met before.

What happens if a woman is told that her developing baby will die before or shortly after birth?

At present, if a woman or couple decide to end a pregnancy before term because of a diagnosis of a fatal condition, they must travel to the UK or Europe to access abortion services.

They must do this without the support of the woman’s doctor.

By voting yes, we will be able to allow a woman who has a diagnosis of a fatal foetal condition the option of ending her pregnancy early.

She will be able to access abortion with the advice and support of her medical team in Ireland.