Written answers

Wednesday, 19 March 2025

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1750. To ask the Minister for Health the economic supports provided to mothers who are considering abortion because of economic reasons. [11880/25]

Photo of Peadar TóibínPeadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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1752. To ask the Minister for Health the number of abortions carried out due to economic pressures on mothers in each of the past five years. [11882/25]

Photo of Jennifer Carroll MacNeillJennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1750 and 1752 together.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 permits termination to be carried out in cases where there is a risk to the life, or of serious harm to the health, of the pregnant woman; where there is a condition present which is likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before or within 28 days of birth; and without restriction up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. Prior to the Referendum on the 8th Amendment, the General Scheme of the Bill to regulate termination of pregnancy was published. The final legislation enacted is consistent with the published proposals.

Under the Act, certain data on termination of pregnancy is required to be collated by my Department via the notification procedure. However, to protect the privacy of the person seeking the termination, this information is limited to:

  • The Medical Council registration number of the medical practitioner who carried out the termination of pregnancy;
  • The section of the Act under which the termination was carried out, i.e., section 9, 10, 11 or 12;
  • Medical Council registration number(s) of the medical practitioner(s) who made the certification concerned;
  • The county of residence, or place of residence (where the woman resides outside of the State) of the woman concerned;
  • The date on which the termination of pregnancy was carried out.
No additional information, including personal circumstances, or the reason for seeking the termination is captured.

To support a person facing an unplanned pregnancy in making an informed decision, the HSE provides a non-directive counselling service, My Options. Information is available from the service about all options, including continued pregnancy supports and abortion services. The ethos of the service is client centred and counsellors take their lead from the person contacting them for information and support.

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