Tuesday, June 9, 2015
262 Cork women go to UK for abortions
Serving Cork for 120 years
Edition No: 35920
BIG OR SMALL... GET ON YOUR WHEELS FOR NATIONAL BIKE WEEK Anitta Linehan, City Council; Bernie Connolly, Cork Environmental Forum; Donnacha O’Callaghan, Cork Cycling Companion; Siobhan Dunne, HSE Healthy Cities; Darren McAdam O’Connell, Cycle Campaigner; Maurice O’Sullivan, Cork Sports Partnership; Camille Tunney, An Taisce Green Shoots; Bernice Jones, Ballyphehane Togher CDP; and Siobhan O’Dowd, Ballyphehane Togher CDP; at the national launch of Cork Bike Week. It runs from Saturday, June 14, to Sunday, June 22, with events taking place throughout Cork City and County. See www.bikeweek.ie. Picture: DARRAGH KANE
■ AUDREY ELLARD-WALSH WOMEN have thrown themselves down the stairs or taken multiple packets of birth control pills with alcohol in a bid to miscarry. These are just some of the horror stories heard by Abortion Support Network, a London-based group who offer advice on procuring abortion and f inancial supports, to Irish women. So far this year they have helped 14 Cork women — alt h o u g h t h e y b e l i e ve t h e number of Irish women seeking abortion in the UK is much higher. Figures were due today from the UK’s Department of Health on how many women gave Irish addresses at UK abortion clinics last year. A t o t a l o f 3 , 6 7 9 wo m e n travelled from Ireland to the UK for terminations in 2013, with 262 women (almost 10%) giving Cork addresses. “Somebody who doesn’t want to be pregnant will do whatever they can to not be,” said Mara Clarke, founder of the group. “In our first year we heard from 89 people and last year we heard from 552. “We only hear from the people who are so disenfranchised or marginalised or poor that they have no other choice than to reach out to total strangers from England and beg for money.” Ms Clarke is highly critical of Irish legislation regarding abortion. “I think the abortion law in Ireland is completely unfit for purpose. Ireland exports its abortion problem.”
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Sex attack in fast food toilet A SPANISH visitor using the toilets at a fast-food outlet in Cork city had the cubicle door kicked in and her face and head banged against the floor by an attacker who removed some of her clothing and sexually assaulted her.
■ Liam Heylin
Detective Garda Colin Greenway gave that evidence yesterday at Cork Circuit Criminal Court, where Philip Kelly, aged 26, of 42 Glenfields Park, Ballyvolane, Cork, pleaded guilty to the sexual assault.
Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said: “There are disturbing aspects of voyeuristic behaviour in the manner in which he secreted himself in the toilets and waited for this lady to come in and the physical and
sexual violence with which he set about her.” The judge remanded Kelly in custody for sentencing on July 27. Detective Garda Greenway said the crime was committed after 3.30am on August 4, 2014, at McDonald’s on Patrick Street, Cork. The Spanish
woman went into a cubicle in the female toilets and locked it behind her. “She heard a loud bang on the door. At first she thought it was another female patron. Then the door was hit so hard the lock on the door fell on the floor. She was tying her
trousers when her attacker grabbed her by the head and put her on the ground. “She shouted for help. He removed her trousers and underwear. He banged her face and head on the ground and put his fingers in her vagina while he put his other hand over her face and mouth. “She finally managed to escape. Two female eyewitnesses entered the toilets when they heard the screams for help. They went downstairs to get security. The security man held on to him until gardaí arrived and he was arrested. ■ Continued on Page 2.