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A record of over 10,000 abortions in Ireland in 2023, new figures suggest

The Republic of Ireland experienced the highest number of abortions since abortion was made legal in the country, with the latest figures suggesting there were over 10,000 abortions in 2023.

The figures were released by the Health Service Executive (HSE) to Independent TD Carol Nolan and showed that between January and November 2023, GPs in Ireland made claims for reimbursements for 9,218 abortions. Irish pro-life group Pro-Life Campaign highlighted that this figure does not include any abortions that were carried out in hospitals, so the total number of abortions in Ireland in 2023, could exceed 10,000.

This is a significant increase on 2022 when there were 8,876 abortions.

The Irish news group, Gript, has also reported, based on the figures released to Carol Nolan, that between 1 January 2019 and 30 November 2023, 405 doctors were reimbursed for a first and second abortion consultation.

Spokesperson Eilís Mulroy from the Irish pro-life group Pro-Life Campaign said “We are now seeing an alarming trend where the annual abortion rate has risen dramatically since 2019, but most especially in the last two years. Proactive steps which the government can take to reduce the abortion rate must be discussed openly in the national media”.

“The impact of telemedicine has likely had a major impact in increasing the abortion rate. Despite this radical change in abortion policy, not a single vote has ever been cast for or against this radical departure from the original abortion law which the then Minister for Health Simon Harris assured the public would not be operated through telemedicine. The government cannot continue to bury its head in the sand and refuse to listen to the voices of those who have well grounded and practical suggestions on how to reduce the soaring abortion rate”.

Deputy Carol Nolan said “This is now an epidemic of loss”.

“Thousands of women are being betrayed by the over promotion of abortion as the only possible response to pregnancy in certain circumstances and the cruel under promotion of life affirming alternatives. I will continue to shine a light on this issue so that women and families are fully supported with the kind of wrap around service provision that will meaningfully assist them in choosing a different path beyond that of abortion”.

A sharp increase in abortions

A highly controversial review of Ireland’s abortion law last year recommended physicians who perform abortions be immune from prosecution if they perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy.

The review also recommended the scrapping of the three-day waiting period before an abortion can happen.

This is despite the fact that 1,903 women in Ireland did not proceed with an abortion after an initial abortion appointment and a mandatory three-day waiting period in 2022.

Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “Ireland’s continued increase in abortions is deeply sad. Less than a decade ago, unborn babies’ lives were protected by law. Now, according to the latest data, they are being ended at a rate of over 10,000 per year”.

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Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Dear reader,

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of people like you across the UK, the McArthur assisted suicide Bill in Scotland was defeated in March by 69 votes to 57.

Then, in April, the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill fell in the House of Lords.

Many commentators thought both Bills would become law.

If that had happened, governments in England, Scotland and Wales would now be preparing to roll out assisted suicide services.

Over the coming decades, this would have led to the deaths of many thousands of vulnerable people.

But that is not what happened.

Because supporters like you acted, those Bills were stopped.

Because of you, many vulnerable lives have been saved.

These were two very significant victories. But sadly, they are not the last battles we face this year.

The new Parliamentary session began on Wednesday. We now face three major threats.

  1. Attempts to bring back the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill and bypass the House of Lords

    The assisted suicide lobby, led by Dignity in Dying, a multi-million-pound pressure group, has made it clear that it is going to attempt to bring back the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill in the next parliamentary session.

    It then plans to use the Parliament Acts to bypass the House of Lords and force the Bill into law.

  2. Labour Government plans for a major expansion of abortion provision, including financial incentives for ‘lunch-hour’ abortions

    Under these plans, the Government would financially incentivise major abortion providers, BPAS and MSI Reproductive Choices, to provide ‘lunch-hour’ or ‘same-day’ abortions.

    ‘Lunch-hour’ abortion services are walk-in abortion services designed to fit into a woman’s lunch hour.

    Women facing an unplanned pregnancy need time, care and support, not a system that gives abortion clinics a financial incentive to rush them through consultations, scans and abortions on the same day.

    If these plans go ahead, many more lives are likely to be ended by abortion here in the UK.

  3. Extreme abortion up to birth proposals in Scotland

    In Scotland, plans are moving forward to introduce an extreme abortion up to birth law. This would go far beyond the abortion law change recently backed by the Lords for England and Wales.

    A review of abortion law in Scotland, commissioned by Humza Yousaf when he was Scottish First Minister, recommended that the Scottish Government scrap the current 24-week time limit – and abortion be available on social grounds, including for sex-selective purposes, right up to birth.

    The final plans are expected to be brought forward as a Government Bill in the new Scottish Parliament, which begins this Thursday.

If these three major threats succeed, thousands of vulnerable lives will be lost.

We cannot allow this to happen.

We can only defeat these three major threats with your help.

We ran our biggest campaigns ever to help defeat the assisted suicide Bills at Westminster and in Scotland.

That work has made a serious dent in our limited resources.

To cover this gap and ensure we can effectively defeat these three major threats in the coming months, we are aiming to raise at least £199,250 by midnight this Sunday (17 May 2026).

We are, therefore, appealing to you to please give as generously as you can.

Every donation, large or small, will make a crucial difference in saving the lives of the unborn and many others. Plus, if you are a UK taxpayer, £1 becomes £1.25 with Gift Aid at no extra cost to you.

By stopping these threats, YOU can save lives during this new Parliamentary session.

Will you donate now to help protect vulnerable lives from these three major threats?

EMERGENCY
APPEAL
to SAVE
lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help stop three major anti-life threats.