Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
1861. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Health his views on the fact that 103 women accessed abortion services in England and Wales in 2021 due to the fact that they were not eligible for care under section 11 of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40789/22]
View answerExpanded termination of pregnancy services commenced on 1 January 2019 and are provided through participating doctors and hospitals throughout the country. However, I am aware that statistics reported by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in the UK showed that women with Irish addresses continued to access termination of pregnancy services in that jurisdiction in 2021.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 permits terminations to be carried out in cases where there is a risk to the life, or of serious harm to the health, of a pregnant woman; where there is a condition present likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before or within 28 days of birth; and without restriction up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. This is in line with the recommendations of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which published its report and recommendations in December 2017. As the Deputy is aware, prior to the May 2018 Referendum on the 8th Amendment, the General Scheme of the Bill to regulate termination of pregnancy was published. The final legislation enacted is consistent with the published proposals.
I wish to assure the Deputy that it is a priority for my Department that the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 is performing as it should be, to enable all women in Ireland to access services quickly and easily, without bias or judgment. There has been a substantial reduction in the number of people with Irish addresses availing of termination of pregnancy services in the UK since the enactment of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 and the commencement of services.
There is ongoing engagement between the Department of Health and the HSE to facilitate the operation of the service and to resolve any issues that may arise.
