There is controversy over a new abortion help-line available in Ireland

The service will help women who have bought abortion pills online.

An aftercare help-line recently launched by the The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) has come under attack from pro-life groups. The help-line is for women in Ireland who have availed of abortion pills from either of the two not-for-profit organisations in the UK. Niamh Ui Bhriain a spokesperson for the pro-life group, Life Institute, has described the Bpas move as “a stunt designed to promote abortion rather than a genuine effort to help women”. Bpas reports that women in Ireland are increasingly choosing this option of abortion pills to deal with crisis pregnancy. The pills are illegal under Irish law. Medical abortion at up to 10 weeks involves taking two sets of pills: mifepristone, which detaches the pregnancy from the lining of the womb, followed by misoprostol, which causes the womb to contract and expel the foetus. The helpline numbers are: 1800-910049 (from Ireland) and: 0800-0776049 (from Northern Ireland)