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Abortion or no work – the choice facing female pilots in post-referendum Ireland

In Ireland, females pilots are being told to choose between losing work and abortion, if they become pregnant, they according to the Irish Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA).

An Oireachtas (Irish national parliament) committee heard that it was “a matter of fact” that female pilots working as self-employed contractors with airlines registered in Ireland have had abortions to avoid losing out on future work.

IALPA president Captain Evan Cullen told the Oireachtas Employment Affairs committee:

“They have a choice, you either terminate your employment… or you terminate your pregnancy. You can’t have both. So that is absolutely what goes on,”

Asked if he knew of specific cases, Capt Cullen said: “Female pilots have told me that they’ve terminated pregnancies because they had no entitlement to maternity leave and therefore no guarantee of a job after they came back.”

Capt Cullen said that “all Irish airlines” are involved in hiring contract pilots but he did not name any company.

The claims were described as “horrifying” by Solidarity TD Paul Murphy.

Labour senator Ged Nash, who had asked Capt Cullen about the matter during the Oireachtas hearing, described the revelation as a “very sinister situation”.

While denying that this practice is in any way representative of their airline, an Aer Lingus spokesperson said “When a female pilot becomes pregnant their medical clearance to fly is suspended under the requirements set out by the Irish Aviation Authority.”

In 2018, the people of Ireland voted in a referendum to remove legal protections for unborn children from the Irish constitution.

Clare McCarthy of Right To Life UK said:

“Once again, this sort of case illustrates the shallowness of the talk about choice. If there really are female pilots who feel they must have an abortion or risk loss of employment, then this is no choice at all.”

Dear reader,

You may be surprised to learn that our 24-week abortion time limit is out of line with the majority of European Union countries, where the most common time limit for abortion on demand or on broad social grounds is 12 weeks gestation.

The latest guidance from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine enables doctors to intervene to save premature babies from 22 weeks. The latest research indicates that a significant number of babies born at 22 weeks gestation can survive outside the womb, and this number increases with proactive perinatal care.

This leaves a real contradiction in British law. In one room of a hospital, doctors could be working to save a baby born alive at 23 weeks whilst, in another room of that same hospital, a doctor could perform an abortion that would end the life of a baby at the same age.

The majority of the British population support reducing the time limit. Polling has shown that 70% of British women favour a reduction in the time limit from 24 weeks to 20 weeks or below.

Please click the button below to sign the petition to the Prime Minister, asking him to do everything in his power to reduce the abortion time limit.