Crisis pregnancy body urges new work policies

The director of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency (CPA) has said policies are needed to enable women to stay in the workforce if they decide to continue with an unplanned pregnancy.

Speaking at a seminar on reconciling pregnancy, parenting and employment, Caroline Spillane said there were links between parenting, pregnancy decision-making and work.

"Employment and career opportunities are significant influencing factors for women who choose abortion," Ms Spillane said.

She said the CPA's mandate was to ensure parenting is viewed as an attractive option and employers had a role in that. "Workers need to be supported to allow them to combine employment with family and personal commitments," she said.

Research presented at the seminar found that more than one-third of Irish women who had an abortion in the UK said career-related reasons strongly influenced their decision.