The numbers of foreign-national women experiencing crisis pregnancy "are increasing to become a real and serious issue", the director of the Crisis Pregnancy Agency has said.
Ms Sharon Foley said the agency had not gathered statistics on what proportion of its clients are immigrants. However, the issue has become so pressing that it is having all its literature translated into five languages - Chinese, Arabic, French, Romanian and Russian.
Foreign-national women in the Republic on restricted visas, or seeking asylum, are allowed to travel to Britain for an abortion. However, according to those working with asylum-seekers and non-nationals, most would be unaware this was available to them.
There have been cases of foreign-national women travelling to Britain for an abortion and then trying to "sneak" back through Northern Ireland.
Ms Barbara Muldoon, a Belfast-based solicitor who represented a Nigerian national in this situation, said her client "was that desperate she risked being deported". Given that asylum-seekers are entitled to just €19.10 per week, few could take up even this option.
The Department of Justice said it is aware of just two cases of asylum seekers travelling legally to Britain for an abortion.
Ms Stephanie Whyte, project manager with Women's Health Action of Cairde, said that although she has not come across non-nationals seeking abortions, the issues faced by many are not generally faced by Irish women.
"Many will have no family around them, no social supports to fall back on and we've found that, often, social workers in the hospitals don't really understand that."
Ms Assi Shiptu, of the Louth African Women's Support Group, described the isolation asylum-seeking women experience, "There is no community near them, they have no money to do anything - only €19 a week. They cannot meet anyone and can get very depressed. It is a terrible way to have to live."
Mr Peter O'Mahony, chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council, said: "Responses like better information in more languages are welcome, but of themselves are of little value until Ireland makes a commitment to meaningful integration of its immigrant communities."
