Campaigners have warned that scrapping the 3-day period of reflection before abortion could see “already soaring” rates rising – with estimates of up to 2,000 additional abortions every year.
A private members’ bill presented by the Social Democrats to the Dáil last week, proposed that the 3-day wait be scrapped. The bill, which passed first stage, also sought to broaden the grounds for abortion in the case of a severe defect diagnosed before birth, and to curtail conscience rights for medics who do not wish to be involved in abortion.
The law enacted after the 2018 referendum allows abortion on demand up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and mandates a period of reflection of 3 days between a first and a second consultation, usually with a GP. While the Social Democrats say the provision is “paternalistic”, pro-life advocates counter that information released by the HSE show that “in more than 10,000 cases, women did not return for an abortion after the 3-day wait”.
Sandra Parda of Life Institute today warned that the removal of the waiting period “could sharply drive up already soaring abortion numbers”, claiming that the change in the law “could lead to an additional 2,000 abortions per year.”
“We increasingly see even those who voted Yes to Repeal say that the massive increase in abortion numbers cause them disquiet, and high profile commentators recently say that they only voted to remove the 8th because they were told there would be restrictions such as the 3-day wait which gives women pause,” she said.
“Why would we not want women to have time to reflect on such a huge decision?” she said. “Why rush women when abortion has such a tragically irreversible outcome? We could be looking at a jump of 2,000 in the number of abortions annually. Who in their right mind would want that?”.
“We hear a lot from the SocDems about listening to the science on this issue, but they completely ignore the data which was issued by the HSE which actually gives a very compelling picture of the impact of the 3-day wait, in particular in relation to women not proceeding to undergo abortion,” she added.
She said that the data released to Carol Nolan TD from the HSE showed that between 2019 and 2024 a total of 10,426 did not return for an an abortion after the 3-day period of reflection which followed their first appointment.
“According to the latest HSE statistics, for example, 10,441 abortions took place in Ireland in a GP or clinical provider setting in 2024. Yet, the information released to Deputy Nolan shows there were 12,641 initial consultations for abortion, meaning that 2,200 (17.4%) women proceed with their abortion in 2024 after that 3-day wait,” Ms Parda said.
“Some of those women might have sadly miscarried, we don’t know,” Ms Parda said, “but the truth is that we would know more about this breakdown if the Abortion Review had talked to women who had changed their mind during those 3 days, but they wouldn’t do that”.
She said that the media was guilty of the “most extraordinary bias by omission in deliberately underreporting both the explosion in the abortion numbers and the data from the HSE which shows that more than 10,000 women did not return for an abortion.”
“Rather than scrapping a life-saving measure, we aren’t we talking to women about what made them change their mind in those 3 days?” she said.
Ms Parda pointed to the findings of a Sunday Independent/Ireland Thinks opinion poll last weekend which showed voters were evenly divided on keeping the 3-day wait. “It’s actually incredible that so many people can see the importance of the 3-day wait before abortion given the media bias on this issue,” she said.
“The questions the Irish people need to ask themselves is whether they want abortion rates to go up even further and whether they want to deny women time to think,” she said.
A pro-life march in Dublin yesterday heard that there were “efforts from the left to remove the safeguards, to expand access” in relation to abortion in Ireland.
Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn noted that more than 10,000 abortions were carried out in 2024, and called for a “change of course” in relation to the issue.
“Over 10,000 abortions took place in Ireland last year. Behind every number is a woman under pressure. Ask the real question. Why are so many women reaching this point?” he said.