Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 March 2021
941. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Health the number of abortions that have taken place beyond 12 weeks and in the third trimester, respectively, since the introduction of termination services. [16647/21]
View answerUnder section 20 (1) of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, a notification of each termination of pregnancy carried out under the legislation must be notified to the Minister for Health within 28 days of it being carried out.
The notifications are recorded on the form entitled “Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 (Notifications) Regulations 2018” (Statutory Instrument No. 597 of 2018). The following information is included in the form:
- Medical Council registration number of the medical practitioner who carried out the termination of pregnancy;
- The section of the Act under which the termination was carried out, i.e., section 9, 10, 11 or 12;
- Medical Council registration number(s) of the medical practitioner(s) who made the certification concerned;
- The county of residence, or place of residence (where the woman resides outside of the State) of the woman concerned;
- The date on which the termination of pregnancy was carried out.
No other information is notified to the Minister.
Section 20 of the Act also requires the Minister to prepare a report on the notifications received during the immediately preceding year not later than 30 June in each year and to lay it before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The Annual Report on terminations of pregnancy carried out in 2019 is available on the Department of Health’s website.
