A Dutch ship specially equipped to carry out up to 20 abortions a day has set sail for Ireland today, according to Dutch media.
It has emerged that the Amsterdam-based Women onWaves Foundation has applied for a berth at Sir John Rogerson's Quay in Dublin.
The group is understood to be consideringsending boats to ports to bring women to the ship anchored ininternational waters as an alternative to docking in Irish waters.
The ship left the Dutch port of Scheveningen near The Hague cheered on by onlookers and friends of the three members of the Amsterdam-based Women on Waves foundation that organised the voyage, and seven crew.
The crew expects to arrive in Dublin in two to three days. The ship will stay for a week, and then head to Cork.
A Department of Health spokeswoman confirmed to ireland.comlegal advice from the Attorney General's Office has been sought but indications are that no legalimplications arise from the ship's presence in Irish waters.
The Departments of Marine and Justice are also beingconsulted, according to the spokeswoman.
But the Aurora, which is sailing under the flag of the Netherlands, will be subject to Dutch law even in international waters. This means women who come aboard seeking an abortion are subject to an obligatory five-day waiting period before the procedure.
Last year plans to bring a similar boat to Malta were abandoned after legal warnings from the Maltese government.
Any abortions - offered at a nominal cost - would be carried out ininternational waters at least 12 miles off the coast, according tothe foundation.
The 130-foot vessel carries a shipping container which has beenfitted out as an operating theatre complete with waiting room.
The foundation was set up in 1999 by Dutch doctor Ms Rebecca Gompertsin response to what the organisation calls the "medical calamity" of 20 million annual abortions worldwide "performed under illegal and unsafe conditions and resulting in the deaths of an estimated 70,000women."
"We hope to provide a catalyst for legalisation . . . We simply want togive women a choice. Public awareness is the first step," Dr Gombertstold Reuters.
Dr Gomperts also said Women on Waves had been invited to Ireland by local organisations.
"We want to stress that we are offering a whole range of family planning information to women and not just abortions," she said.
Women on Waves is registered in the Netherlands as a charity and issupported by private funding.
Additional reporting by AFP&