More than 8,500 abortions carried out last year, says Donnelly

More than 8,500 terminations of pregnancy were carried out in Ireland last year, according to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, who said he intends to bring a review of services to Cabinet in the coming weeks.

The figure cited by the Minister, and the increase it represented on previous abortion numbers, drew criticism from anti-abortion campaigners.

Mr Donnelly was speaking as he rejected comments by Dr Deirdre Duffy, one of those involved in the review, who said elements of the Irish abortion system were “not sustainable” in their current form and the service could collapse.

Dr Duffy, who is based at Lancaster University, described services as “a postcode lottery” in comments published by The Irish Times on Monday.

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“She is not correct at all. So over eight and a half thousand women availed of termination of pregnancy services in Ireland last year,” Mr Donnelly told RTÉ Radio on Tuesday.

“The vast majority of women had their needs met in primary care. We have over 420 GPs now providing services; that’s up by about 50 per cent in the last few years ... a bit less than one in ten.”

Responding to Mr Donnelly’s interview, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said last year’s figure represented a 25 per cent rise in terminations.

Describing this as devastating and heartbreaking, he said: “Despite Ireland’s abortion rate radically increasing last year, the Minister for Health stated today that the abortion review’s objective is to increase access to abortion even more in Ireland.

“Why is the ideological commitment to increase access to abortion now trumping any other potential support or solution for mothers in a crisis pregnancy?”

Pro Life Campaign spokeswoman Eilís Mulroy said: “If Minister Donnelly’s figure of 8,500 abortions in 2022 is accurate, this is a huge jump from the approximately 6,700 abortions which took place in 2021.”

Ms Mulroy said it was demonstrative of a “complete lack of interest” in providing women in unplanned pregnancies with alternatives.

[ Review calls for Ireland’s abortion rules to be relaxed ]

Mr Donnelly said the review of the service would be published once it had come before Cabinet. When the law opening up access to abortion care came into effect, the Government decided there should be a review of the system within three years.