26 pregnancy terminations last year under new law

A total of 26 terminations were carried out under the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act last year.

According to the first annual report on the implementation of the legislation prepared by the HSE, 14 of the 26 terminations arose from a risk to the life of the mother arising from physical illness. Three of the terminations arose from a risk to the life of the mother from suicide, and nine from a risk to the life of the mother from emergencies arising from physical illness.

Th Department of Health said the total number of terminations is in line with annual estimates presented to the Joint Oireachtas Committee hearings on the General Scheme of the Bill in January 2013.

Under the act, the health minister must be notified of each termination of pregnancy without disclosing the name of the woman – no later than 28 days after it has taken place.

Each notification must include the section under which the termination was carried out, the name of the medical facility and the date it took place. It must also include the Medical Council registration number of the doctor who performed the procedure and the registration numbers of the certifying doctors.

Commenting on the report which was laid before the Dáil yesterday, Health Minister Leo Varadkar said the evidence indicates that the legislation is working and that the hospitals are compliant with the notifications requirement under the Act.

“Abortion is illegal in Ireland except where there is a threat to the life of the mother. In these circumstances, it is a matter for the patient and her doctors. For this reason and to protect privacy and confidentiality, the information being released today is limited to that required by the act,” he said.

Statement from @prolifecampaign on report on 2013 Act: http://t.co/iJj8VPRcE7 #prolife #prochoice

— Cora Sherlock (@CoraSherlock) June 29, 2015

Deputy chairperson of the Pro Life Campaign Cora Sherlock said the loss of even one child’s life through abortion was “an immense tragedy”.

“The Government and Minister Varadkar are fully aware that abortion is not a treatment for suicidal feelings. Yet they pressed ahead with legislation in 2013 providing for abortion on this ground, ignoring the expert evidence from two sets of Oireachtas hearings which showed that, far from being a medical treatment, abortion in the case of threatened suicide can have long-term negative consequences for women,” she said.

“We stand by the claim we made in 2013 that over time the new law, unless it is repealed, will normalise the practice of abortion in Ireland and undermine the dignity and inherent value of every human life,” she said.