Newly released figures from Ireland’s Department of Health reveal that 10,852 abortions were carried out within the country in 2024 — the very best annual total recorded since abortion was legalised in 2019.
This marks an 8.16% rise from the 2023 figure of 10,033, and a staggering 62.8% rise in comparison with 2019, the yr abortion services officially began, when 6,666 terminations were reported.
The legalisation of abortion in Ireland followed the 2018 referendum that rescinded the 1983 Eighth Amendment, which had previously guaranteed equal rights to life for each mother and unborn child.
The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act was enacted on 20 December 2018, and services became available from 1 January 2019.
Prior to this transformation, abortion access for Irish residents was limited, leading many to travel abroad.
In 2018, the yr before the laws got here into effect, 2,879 Irish women underwent abortions in England and Wales, while 32 more were recorded under Ireland’s then-restrictive Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act — a combined total of two,911.
Since 2019, the variety of abortions performed inside Ireland has increased annually.
In 2022, there have been 8,156 abortions conducted domestically, while 201 Irish residents sought abortions in England and Wales.
A small variety of patients from Northern Ireland — 12 in total — also accessed services within the Republic of Ireland that yr.
In 2024, nearly all abortions — 98.7% — happened outside of circumstances involving danger to the lady’s life or wellbeing, or instances where the child was expected to die attributable to a fatal medical condition.
Monthly breakdowns show that January had the very best variety of procedures (1,056), while August recorded the bottom (849).
Since legalisation, Ireland has reported a complete of 48,984 abortions from 2019 through 2024.
Reacting to the figures, Catherine Robinson of Right To Life UK said: “The 10,852 abortions in 2024 are a tragedy. Every single one in every of these was a singular human person whose life was ended shortly after it began.
“The variety of abortions has increased dramatically since 2019, when abortion was made legal.
“Less than a decade ago, unborn babies’ lives were protected by law in Ireland. Now, in line with the newest data, they’re being ended at a rate of over 10,000 per yr.”
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