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Ireland abortions highest on record for 2022, one abortion for every seven live births

Ireland has seen its highest number of abortions on record for 2022, with one abortion for every seven babies born.

Yesterday, the Department of Health in Ireland released its abortion statistics for 2022, which revealed there had been 8,156 abortions. This is the highest number of abortions since abortion was made legal in Ireland in 2018.

Due to a discrepancy in the 2021 abortion figures, which the Department of Health in Ireland blamed on COVID-19 and a cyber attack, only approximate numbers for the total number of abortions in Ireland in 2021 are available. Based on the approximate figure though, there were 6,700 abortions in Ireland in 2021, which means there was a 22% increase in abortions over a single year.

Pro Life Campaign spokesperson, Eilís Mulroy, said that the latest figures showed that for every seven babies born, one was aborted.

“It shows how the Irish abortion rate has dramatically jumped, as the result of a government which has shown a complete lack of interest in providing women in unplanned pregnancies with real alternatives to abortion. Politicians’ only focus now should be on reducing the numbers, not on making the abortion regime even more pervasive.”

“Even the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, in recent days has spoken of his concern with the exploding abortion rate … If Mr Varadkar is serious about seeing a decrease in the abortion rate, he urgently needs to focus on providing women in unplanned pregnancies with greater supports and alternatives to abortion. He must also engage with and listen to pro-life perspectives, instead of relying exclusively on abortion advocates in setting policy in this area”, she added.

A sharp increase in abortions compared to the previous year

A highly controversial review of Ireland’s abortion law earlier this 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, despite the fact that thousands of women had their babies instead of an abortion after the three-day waiting period.

The Pro-Life Campaign in Ireland has been highly critical of the report, which failed to use official government figures that show that between 2019 and 2021, of those who had an initial abortion consultation, 3,951 women did not return for a second consultation.

Right To Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson said “Like the UK, Ireland is experiencing a sharp increase in the number of abortions. This is tragic. Every abortion is the loss of someone’s son or daughter.”

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Help fight the next phase of our battles against major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.

Dear reader,

We are facing two major threats in the Lords - an extreme assisted suicide Bill and an abortion up to birth amendment.

THE GOOD NEWS - OUR STRATEGY IS WORKING

At Second Reading of the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill in the House of Lords, a record number of Peers spoke, and of those who took a position, around two-thirds opposed the assisted suicide Bill. That is more than double the number who supported it.

Our side also secured a significant win, with the establishment of a dedicated Lords Select Committee to further scrutinise the Bill’s proposals – and Committee Stage has been delayed until it reports.

This momentum has been built by tens of thousands of people like you. Thanks to your hard work, Peers are receiving a very large number of emails and letters by post, making the case against the Bill. 

Thanks to your support, we have been able to mount a major campaign in Parliament, in the media and online – alongside your own efforts – to keep us on course for our goal: that this dangerous Bill never becomes law.

BUT MORE CHALLENGES LIE AHEAD

We cannot become complacent. Well-funded groups - Dignity in Dying, My Death My Decision and Humanists UK - have poured millions into pushing assisted suicide. They can see support is slipping and will fight hard to reverse that.

This is not the only fight we are facing in the House of Lords.

At the same time, the Antoniazzi abortion up to birth amendment, which passed in the House of Commons in June, is moving through the House of Lords as part of the Crime and Policing Bill.

Second Reading will take place in a matter of weeks. It will then go on to Committee and Report Stages, where we will be up against the UK’s largest abortion providers – BPAS and MSI Reproductive Choices (formerly Marie Stopes) – who are expected to lobby for even more extreme changes to our abortion laws.

If the Antoniazzi amendment becomes law, it would no longer be illegal for women to perform their own abortions for any reason – including sex-selective purposes – at any point up to and during birth.

Thousands of vulnerable lives - at the beginning and the end of life - depend on what happens next. We must do everything in our power to stop these radical proposals.

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Our campaign against the Leadbeater Bill in the House of Lords is working, but the work we have already done has significantly stretched our limited resources.

We are now stepping up our efforts against the assisted suicide Bill while launching a major push to stop the abortion up to birth amendment in the Lords. 

To fight effectively on both fronts, we aim to raise £183,750 by midnight this Sunday (5 October 2025).

Every donation, large or small, will help protect lives, and UK taxpayers can add 25p to every £1 through Gift Aid at no extra cost.

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

URGENT
APPEAL
to protect vulnerable lives

Help stop three major anti-life threats.

Help fight the next phase of our battles against major assisted suicide and abortion up to birth threats.