IRELAND has recorded its highest number of abortions since the practice was legalised in 2018.
Figures released by the Department of Health this week reveal that 10,852 terminations were carried out across the country in 2024.
This is a marked increase on the 8,156 abortions reported in 2022.
The majority of the terminations were early medical abortions, involving the use of tablets prescribed by a doctor within the first couple of months of pregnancy.
A small percentage were carried out due to fatal foetal abnormalities, risk to the life of the mother or emergency medical interventions.
The report further revealed that of the women who had terminations 4,125 were based in Dublin, followed by 957 in Cork, 507 in Galway, and 441 in Limerick.
A total of 450 women did not disclose their county, and eight women travelled from Northern Ireland for an abortion.
The Department of Health’s annual report also noted that the highest number of terminations occurred in January, followed closely by May.
Dr. Shirley McQuade, medical director of the Well Woman Centre, expressed surprise at the scale of the increase, suggesting that factors beyond population growth may be at play.
She pointed to the availability of free contraception for women aged 17 to 35 and said that while contraceptive failure is possible, it’s generally rare.
The use of online consultations, introduced during the pandemic, has also made access to abortion services easier.
One of the two required doctor appointments can now take place over the phone or by video.
Meanwhile, the number of Irish women travelling to Britain for abortions has dropped dramatically from 2,879 in 2018 to just 201 in 2022.
In 2022, 63 percent of these British and Northern Ireland based abortions fell under “Ground C,” a legal provision allowing termination if continuing the pregnancy poses a greater risk to a woman's physical or mental health than ending it.
That figure rose from 50 percent the previous year.
Abortions under “Ground E,” which covers cases involving serious foetal issues, dropped from 50 to 37 percent.
While Ireland’s abortion numbers continue to rise, Britain is undergoing its most important reform of abortion law in nearly six decades.
In a landmark vote last month, the House of Commons approved legislation that decriminalises self-managed abortions in England and Wales.
The new law ensures that no woman can be investigated, prosecuted or imprisoned for ending her own pregnancy - regardless of how far along she is.
Previously, women who took abortion pills later in pregnancy faced criminal charges.
The most high-profile example of this was Nicola Parker, who was arrested and jailed after taking medication at home at around 26 weeks, mistakenly believing she was only six weeks pregnant.
She was ultimately acquitted, but her case sparked widespread criticism of Britain’s outdated abortion laws.
MP Tonia Antoniazzi, who championed the reform, told Parliament that the new law is about support, not criminalisation, and called the previous rules “outdated” and “Victorian.”
However, critics argue the reform doesn’t go far enough.
Abortions in clinical settings must still be approved by two doctors, and medical professionals who assist in late-term abortions could still be prosecuted.
A broader amendment to fully decriminalise abortion and enshrine it as a legal right was blocked from a vote, leading MP Stella Creasy to call it a missed opportunity.
The new law still requires approval from the House of Lords but is expected to pass.
Because of the UK’s devolved system of government, the legislation will apply only to England and Wales, with Scotland and Northern Ireland maintaining their own abortion rules.
These reforms are the biggest change to British abortion policy since the 1967 Abortion Act.
Similarly, Ireland has also been facing calls to reform their laws, seven years after legalisation.
A Department of Health commissioned review led by barrister Marie O’Shea recommended several changes, including removing the mandatory three-day waiting period, eliminating potential criminal sanctions for doctors and clarifying what constitutes a fatal foetal abnormality.
The Oireachtas health committee supported these reforms, but the current Programme for Government has not committed to implementing them.
