The Pro Life Campaign has said Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns misled the Dáil this week when she suggested that 240 Irish women travel to England each year for abortions because their babies were diagnosed with life-limiting conditions. Speaking during Leader’s Questions, Deputy Cairns raised the case of Denise Whitmore, who travelled to England for an abortion in 2024 and discussed her experience in a recent interview on RTÉ radio.
Responding to the statement, spokesperson for the Pro Life Campaign, Eilís Mulroy said:
“ According to available figures for the five-year period from 2019 to 2023, approximately 240 women travelled from Ireland to England or Wales each year for abortions. Of these, around two-thirds were carried out under Ground C, relating to mental health grounds for the mother and not related to a diagnosis concerning the baby.
“For abortions in England and Wales following a prenatal diagnosis, over the five years from 2019 to 2023, a total of 208 abortions on Irish residents involved babies diagnosed with Down syndrome, accounting for over half of abortions carried out following a diagnosis. By contrast, a much smaller total of eight cases involved babies diagnosed with anencephaly, Edwards syndrome or Patau syndrome.
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“It is wholly inaccurate to suggest 240 women travel each year due to life-limiting diagnoses. It is important that public representatives present abortion statistics accurately. The figures cited in the Dáil this week appear to conflate different categories and risk misleading the public about why women travel abroad for abortions.”
Ms Mulroy also expressed concern that the comments were made in the context of efforts to expand the grounds for late-term abortions in Ireland. She said:
“During the exchange in the Dáil, the Taoiseach said he would take another look at the recommendations contained in the Three-Year Review of the abortion. If any review is revisited, it should also listen to the experiences of women who continued their pregnancies after a difficult diagnosis and who benefited from the support of perinatal palliative care services, and look at whether comprehensive information and support is offered to all women facing this situation during their pregnancy.
“It is disappointing how quickly the Taoiseach moves to revisit the law when challenged by pro-abortion voices, while serious concerns raised about the scale of abortion in Ireland (nearly 11,000 abortions in 2024) and the experiences of women facing pressure or regret after abortion receive far less attention”, she concluded.
