Social Democrats abortion bill rejected in Dáil vote

The Social Democrats' Reproductive Rights (Amendment) Bill has been defeated in the Dáil by 85 votes to 30, with 36 abstentions, including all Sinn Féin TDs.

Fine Gael TDs Grace Boland and Barry Ward voted in favour of moving the Bill to committee stage, as did Fianna Fáil TD Catherine Ardagh.

The Labour Party, People Before Profit, the Green Party, and Independent TD Barry Heneghan also supported the legislation.

The majority rejected it, including Minster for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Independent Ireland, while Minister for Further and Higher Education James Lawless, Minister of State Chris O'Sullivan, and TD Paul McAuliffe abstained.

The Bill sought to remove the existing three-day waiting period after the first GP consultation for an abortion, revise the criteria for a termination on the grounds of fatal foetal abnormality, and end the criminalisation of doctors who face jail term if they perform a termination outside of the strict legal limits.

"The mandatory three-day waiting period continues to create unnecessary distress and delay despite having absolutely no medical basis, said Social Democrats' leader Holly Cairns. "The continued criminalisation of abortion creates fear among clinicians and stigma for patients".

"These issues were all identified in the Government's own expert review of the law three years ago, yet three years later women are still waiting".

Published in 2023, an independent review recommended ending the required waiting period and called for new ministerial guidelines regarding fatal foetal abnormalities.

After 12 weeks, an abortion is only permitted in exceptional cases where there is risk of serious harm, to the pregnant woman, or where there is a condition present that is likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before or within 28 days of birth. The rejected Bill proposed the removal of the 28-day limit.

Cairns pointed out that the limit was set at 28 days because where a condition exists resulting in the death of a live-born infant, that death nearly always occurs in the first 28 days. Of about 190 deaths last year, about 150 of them were within that period.

"If a baby can live for two, three, or four months, I do not understand how we would pick a timeline for that", she said.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health, David Cullinane, said his party supports removing the waiting period and separately tabled legislation to do so, but they do not support the Social Democrats; position on foetal abnormalities.

The rejection of the Bill has come almost exactly 8 years since the landmark referendum to repeal the Eighth Amendment and liberalise abortion laws in Ireland held on May 28, 2018.

Voters approved the change by a landslide with 66.4% voting "Yes" to allow for the regulation of abortion, leading to its legalisation.