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Over 6,570 Abortions Carried Out In Ireland Last Year

6,577 abortions were carried out in Ireland last year, according to new figures from the Department...
Niall Colbert
Niall Colbert

3:40 PM - 29 Jun 2021



Over 6,570 Abortions Carried O...

News

Over 6,570 Abortions Carried Out In Ireland Last Year

Niall Colbert
Niall Colbert

3:40 PM - 29 Jun 2021



6,577 abortions were carried out in Ireland last year, according to new figures from the Department of Health.

This is 89 fewer than 2019 - the first year women could legally access the service in the Republic.

Around 36 percent of women said they were living in Dublin at the time of their procedure, with almost 10 percent residing in Cork.

Source: Department of Health

The Department of Health was notified of 709 terminations in January - the most of any month in 2020.

Helen Stonehouse, from the Abortion Rights Campaign, says that “Despite the pandemic, 6,577 people had an abortion in Ireland during 2020, a similar number to the prior year, showing that abortion is very much an essential service."

She said the low numbers of abortions performed outside the “early pregnancy” ground are very similar to the numbers who accessed abortion on these grounds in 2019 and indeed under the highly restrictive Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act.

Ms Stonehouse says it is highly concerning that similar numbers of people accessed abortion post-12 weeks before and after the Repeal of the 8th Amendment.



Read more about

2020 Abortion Health Ireland

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