A London-based abortion organization helped a 12-year-old girl from Ireland have an abortion in 2017; she is one of over 50 other minors who aborted their unborn children with the help of the abortion group.
The Abortion Support Network (ASN) — founded in 2009 by American Mara Clarke — helped 52 girls younger than 16 get abortions, and almost all of them came from Ireland, according to The Times.
In regards to underage pregnancy, the group steps in “where there are any concerns about the child’s safety or welfare,” an ASN representative said, The Times reported.
According to DNA samples from the aborted baby’s remains, the 12-year-old girl was impregnated by a 15-year old male in a consensual act rather than any kind of abuse. Ireland’s Public Prosecutions Director is currently preparing a file on the abortion case because Irish law mandates the age of consent for both males and females as 17 year. Both parties in this case were underage.
Clarke told CBS News that she knew early in life her mission was to help women around the world have abortions if they so chose, especially women living in places where abortion isn’t legal. The London-based operation grew from less than 90 requests for money or home-stays during its first year of business in 2009 to over 1,000 requests in 2017.
ASN offers both financial assistance and housing to women traveling from the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, according to its website. The organization determines funding by evaluating each case individually and assessing need as well as funding availability. (RELATED: American Woman Aids Pregnant Women Skirt Law By Leaving Their Countries To Abort)
“We also provide confidential, non-judgmental information to anyone who contacts us via phone or email,” the abortion network boasts.
Clarke’s organization continues growing, while abortion advocates are calling for Ireland to repeal its Eighth Amendment outlawing and penalizing those who attempt or successfully abort an unborn child. Fewer than three in 10 Irish support elective abortions, according to Breaking News. Support for elective abortions is low, indicating Ireland’s Repeal The Eighth campaign will likely fail. The campaign calls Ireland’s law “archaic and dangerous.” (RELATED: Ireland’s Abortion Campaign Totally Runs Out Of Steam)
ASN will likely cease to operate if Ireland repeals its Eighth Amendment, but Clarke insisted she will keep charging ahead until this occurs. “Abortion Support Network lives to be made obsolete, but we will continue to help anyone who contacts us for as long as we can,” she told CBS News.
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