On June 9, 2016, the Human Rights Committee issued its findings in a case involving Ireland’s abortion laws, ruling that they subjected women to discrimination and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. According to a news report, AM, an Irish woman whose fetus had been diagnosed with a congenital birth defect which would cause its death in the womb or shortly after birth, was forced to choose between carrying the pregnancy to term or traveling abroad for an abortion. AM traveled to the U.K. to undergo the procedure and was forced to leave the hospital twelve hours after its completion as she could not afford a longer stay. Upon her return to Ireland, “she was denied the bereavement counseling and medical care available to women who miscarry,” a differential treatment which in the Committee’s view “failed to take into account her medical needs and socio-economic circumstances and constituted discrimination.” The Committee further found that AM had suffered not only from the “shame and stigma associated with the criminalization of abortion of a fatally ill foetus,” but had faced grave obstacles in obtaining information regarding her medical options. The Committee noted that under Ireland’s Abortion Information Act, healthcare providers are allowed to share certain information about abortion, such as circumstances under which it can be legal in Ireland or abroad, but “they are prohibited from, and could be sanctioned for, behaviour that could be interpreted as advocating or promoting the termination of pregnancy.” It stressed that this legislation has a “chilling effect” on healthcare providers, who struggle to distinguish support for their patient from advocating for an abortion. Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Ireland was liable to provide AM with an effective remedy, including any counseling she may require and adequate compensation. Highlighting that Ireland is further required to prevent similar human rights violations in the future, the Committee stated “[Ireland] should amend its law on voluntary termination of pregnancy, including if necessary its Constitution, to ensure compliance with the Covenant, including effective, timely and accessible procedures for pregnancy termination in Ireland, and take measures to ensure that health-care providers are in a position to supply full information on safe abortion services without fearing being subjected to criminal sanctions.”