Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ar an gcéad dul síos, I wish the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and all the staff throughout the House the best for the summer season.

The Department of Health released the total number of notifications received last year for abortions carried out in Ireland. It showed there were 10,033 abortions in 2023, the highest number on record since the law changed in 2019. That figure represents a chilling 250% increase on the 2,879 abortions that happened in 2018, the year before the law changed.

Senior members of the Government who oversaw the introduction of the new abortion regime promised, like what happened in America, that it would be rare if people voted "Yes" in the referendum. People did vote "Yes" - 66% of them - many on the understanding it would be rare, legal and safe. What has happened? The floodgates have opened. Women in unplanned pregnancies need to be provided with information on alternatives to abortion. That has to become a priority for the Government.

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