Ireland has been saved - at least for now - from the special horror of abortion up until birth. A proposal to revisit radical plans for the decriminalisation of abortion up to birth has been narrowly rejected by Deputies.
TDs voted by 73 to 71 against restoring the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) (Amendment) Bill 2023 for further debate in the Dáil.
The controversial Private Member’s Bill, which lapsed after the dissolution of the Dáil last year, called for full decriminalisation of abortion up to birth for any reason and the dismantling of the three-day reflection period before having an abortion.
Eilís Mulroy of the Pro Life Campaign welcomed the outcome and expressed encouragement at the many TDs “taking stock of the dramatic increase in abortions since the law changed and of the disturbing realities now emerging under the current legislation”.
She added: “As a society, we should be prioritising alternatives to abortion and meaningful support for women, not policies that drive abortion numbers higher.”
One in six babies in Ireland were killed by abortion in 2024, according to the Department of Health.