In Ireland, abortion is banned unless the mother's life is in danger. Under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act (PLDPA), some women are allowed the procedure if they're suicidal. But one girl in Ireland was sent to a mental hospital against her will after a doctor said she was at risk for suicide—and she still had to continue the pregnancy.
After the girl asked her doctor for an abortion, she was sent to Dublin, where she thought she would get an abortion. Instead, she was brought to a mental health institution under the Mental Health Act, which allows for involuntary institutionalization of people with psychological disorders. The court then appointed a Guardian ad litem (GAL)—someone in charge of figuring out what's best for a child—to assess whether this was legal. In accordance with Irish law, the fetus also had a GAL.
The pregnant girl's GAL brought in another psychiatrist, who said she was depressed but not mentally ill or suicidal. The psychiatrist she'd been seeing before this incident agreed, reporting that she was angry about the situation but had no mental disorder. After hearing this evidence, another judge let her leave the hospital but didn't let her end her pregnancy. A District Court judge claimed that psychiatric treatment would manage her distress over the pregnancy better than an abortion would, according to the Child Care Law Reporting Project.
Cases in which women are forced to give birth despite severe psychological distress are extremely common in Ireland. Mara Clarke of the Abortion Support Network told Broadly she'd seen two cases where women attempted suicide twice and still weren't allowed abortions. One Irish woman died in 2012 from pregnancy-related complications because a hospital refused to terminate her pregnancy.
In an attempt to get around Ireland's harsh abortion laws, approximately 10 Irish women a day travel to the U.K. for abortions. Those caught seeking the procedure in the Irish Republic could face up to 14 years in prison, and those caught in Northern Ireland could serve life sentences.
This March, women in Ireland protested the country's abortion laws by going on strike and demonstrating in several cities. Activists called for Ireland to repeal the eighth amendment, which gives an unborn fetus the same rights as a person. In April, a Citizens' Assembly voted to amend the law but not repeal it, and next, they'll vote on recommendations to give legislators.