In 2024, almost 11,000 babies were aborted in Ireland.
A total of 108 procedures were conducted due to medical conditions expected to result in the death of the foetus. Nine were performed in emergency situations due to risks to the woman’s life or health, and 24 were carried out on similar grounds but outside of an emergency context.
These statistics were presented in the sixth Annual Report on the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, a requirement under section 20 of that legislation. The document covers the period from January 1 to December 31, 2024, reports Irish central.
According to the Department of Health, this marks the sixth consecutive annual report since abortion access was legally expanded in Ireland under legislation introduced after the May 2018 referendum that repealed the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.
The report includes a monthly breakdown of the number of terminations reported according to when they were carried out, reports Irish central.
January saw the highest number of reported abortions in 2024, with 1,056. May followed with 967, and April recorded 941.
There were 92 instances where the reported procedures did not include a specified date.
The report also provides a breakdown by the woman’s place of residence, either by county within Ireland or country of residence if outside the State, reports Irish central.
In total, 4,125 terminations were reported for women living in Dublin, 957 for those in Cork, and 507 for women residing in Galway.
There were 450 cases where no county or location was specified. Twelve women listed their location as “other,” and eight reported living in Northern Ireland, reports Irish central.
On May 25, 2018, Irish voters chose to repeal the Eighth Amendment by a margin of 66.4% to 33.6%, removing the constitutional ban on abortion.
Later that year, the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was approved by both Houses of the Oireachtas and was signed into law by the President on December 20, 2018, reports Irish central.
As outlined in the report, the Act’s main function is to establish the legal framework for accessing abortion in Ireland. It allows terminations in cases involving a risk to the woman’s life or serious harm to her health, including emergencies; in instances of fatal foetal conditions; and without restriction during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Ireland’s expanded abortion services under the 2018 legislation officially began on January 1, 2019, reports Irish central.
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