The Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) has commenced a pilot system to gather more data on hospital‑based abortions, now recording maternal age, previous pregnancies, contraception use, gestational age, procedure type, and complications, along with presentations following home medical abortions or terminations abroad.
While the HSE insists no patient‑identifiable data or personal motivation is recorded, pro‑life advocates warn this represents a troubling normalisation of abortion in Irish public healthcare.
Since the 2018 repeal of the Eighth Amendment, Ireland has seen a rapid rise in abortion numbers from just 26 under the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Act (2013) to over 10,000 in 2023 and a record high of 10,852 in 2024. Pro‑life voices emphasise that without deep support for pregnant women, these figures reflect policy failure rather than liberation.
SPUC has long campaigned for investment in pregnancy support and counselling, citing examples from other countries where comprehensive support systems significantly reduce demand for abortion. The concern is that the new data will be used to justify further policy shifts, rather than address underlying issues such as poverty, coercion, or lack of social services.
Rather than normalise abortion as part of maternity care, SPUC calls for greater prioritisation of support for pregnant woman, urging the Government to pivot towards supporting choices that protect both mother and her unborn child.
While improved data collection can enhance health system monitoring, SPUC advocates caution that the emphasis must remain firmly on reducing abortions, not legitimising them. Without concurrent investment in alternative supports, detailed abortion statistics risk becoming tools of expansion, not restraint, eroding the ethos of respect for the sanctity of life, that the pro‑life movement continues to uphold.
