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American Morning

Battle Over Abortion Arrives in Ireland

Aired June 15, 2001 - 11:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The latest in the vessel in the battle over abortion arrives in Dublin, Ireland -- but there will be no abortions on board.

CNN's Sheila MacVicar joins us live via phone from the Irish port with the latest on the controversial campaign -- Sheila.

SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the ship docked in Dublin late yesterday. This morning, at a dockside press conference, the organizers announced that contrary to what they had been saying, they would not be able to provide any abortions, medical or surgical, on board the ship. They said that there were two key reasons.

First, they have been overwhelmed by the number of Irishwomen who had approached them, more than 80, a number that they simply were not prepared for and could not cope with. And second, they acknowledge that there were still problems with Dutch law. The ship has not yet been licensed by Dutch authorities. And they say that they will not act outside the law -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, CNN's Sheila MacVicar reporting to us from Dublin following that story for us.

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