Health Minister Jennifer Carroll McNeil has said that the Government has already “substantially reduced barriers” to abortion, and that any further legislative change, such as scrapping the 3-day wait, “would need very careful consideration”.
The 3-day-wait is a mandatory waiting period in Ireland that requires women to wait three days after an initial consultation before obtaining an abortion. This delay is intended to allow for reflection.
During the referendum campaign on the 8th Amendment in 2018, the Government promised a number of safeguards to restrict abortion, with the 3-day-wait being one such protective measure built into the legislation.
The measure has appeared to reduce the number of abortions since its implementation. Over 2,600 women failed to return for an abortion procedure in 2022 following the 3-day waiting period, despite attending an initial consultation, according to data from the Department of Health.
In a Parliamentary Question by Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns this week, the Fine Gael Minister was asked about progressing several abortion-related issues, including abolishing the waiting period.
“A review of the operation of the Health(Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was completed in 2023,” she said.
“The final report of the review made a range of recommendations, most of which are operational in nature, with some proposing legislative change.”
She added: “Significant progress has been made in relation to the operational recommendations.”
The Minister said that “all maternity hospitals in Ireland” are now providing abortions, and that there has also been “a sustained increase in Community providers”, now standing at 468.
She also said that since the Covid-19 lockdown, it’s still possible for one of the two consultations required for termination in early pregnancy to take place remotely, and “Safe Access Zones”.
“The revised model of care introduced in response to the Covid pandemic was approved as the enduring model of care,” she said.
“Under this blended approach, it is possible for one of the two consultations required for termination in early pregnancy to take place remotely. This alleviates the time and expense involved in travelling to the doctor’s surgery twice.
Safe Access Zones legislation came into effect on Thursday, 17 October 2024, under the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services) (Safe Access Zones) Act 2024.”
She added: “The cumulative effect of these measures is substantially reducing barriers and increasing access to services…The issue of any legislative change would need very careful consideration,” she said.
According to the figures, 10,779 women sought an initial abortion consultation in 2022. The Department of Health also reported that only 8,156 abortions occurred that year, suggesting up to 2,623 women did not follow through after the reflection period.
Furthermore, data shows that more than 6,500 women in the 2019-2022 period did not return for an abortion after the 3-day wait.
More than 100 doctors, including prominent obstetrician Dr. Trevor Hayes, have argued for keeping the 3-day wait, arguing that a brief reflection period is a common practice for many significant medical procedures.