Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Many people will be shocked by the abortion review report released today. The Government persuaded many thousands of people to vote for the abortion referendum on the basis there would be some safeguards for children, yet five years later, it looks like the Government is going to wash away the remaining safeguards. Last year, there was an enormous jump in the number of abortions that happened, with a 25% increase. Approximately 8,500 unborn children were aborted last year, which is an incredible figure, nearly three times what it was in 2017. Since the legislation was brought in, 25,000 unborn children have been aborted, the equivalent of 1,120 classrooms of children. It is catastrophic for each one of those children. It now looks as though the three-day wait, which has saved thousands of lives, is under threat and the ability of the majority of doctors to refuse to carry out abortions on the basis of conscientious objection will be threatened. The Taoiseach said in this Chamber that he accepts that “the unborn child is a human life with rights." Is his Government about to delete the few remaining rights unborn children have?

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