The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) has said it is disassociating itself from Cura, the Catholic crisis pregnancy support agency.

It says this is because of a failure to "provide 'full support' for pregnant people when it comes to abortion and abortion support."

Speaking about the move, USI President Michael Kerrigan says: "Cura only provides two options during pregnancy counselling, which can cause unnecessary pressure and lack of knowledge for people to make an informed choice about what to do in an unplanned pregnancy.

"Cura does not provide contact details for abortion clinics, or information on abortion services and as a result it does not give full support for pregnant people or their partners.

"USI will be cutting all ties from now on until Cura faces the reality that abortions happen in Ireland, and that people need support here at home before, during and after an abortion."

USI adds that it will ensure that all information from USI is from organisations that provide "all options" to those seeking counsel on information relating to pregnancy.

The group is recommending different services to students for abortion care and support.

This includes Irish Family Planning Association, the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre and the Dublin Well Woman Centre.

The USI is the national representative body for the 374,000 students in third-level education.

It runs annual sexual health campaigns and makes abortion care and support information available to its membership during campaigns.