Ireland now offers more ’emergency’ terminations per year than England and Wales, an analysis of new figures has revealed.
An analysis by The Irish Catholic of new figures from the Health Service Executive shows more terminations for ’emergency’ medical reasons took place in Ireland last year than England and Wales in the last 10 years.
Following the release last week of a Health Service Executive (HSE) report on Ireland’s 26 terminations in 2014, it was revealed that three abortions took place because a woman was at risk of suicide, nine because lives were in immediate danger from physical illnesses, and 14 because lives were otherwise endangered by physical illnesses.
The report is the first released following passage of the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act.
At the time of the report’s release, Minister for Health Leo Varadkar said the figures tallied with projected estimates put to him by the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children in 2013.
However, a breakdown of the figures against those for England and Wales shows that the overseas rate does not come close to Ireland’s.
According to Greg Daly of The Irish Catholic, who examined the figures on emergency terminations: “Among these [in England and Wales] are emergencies where a mother’s life or health is endangered. These ‘Ground F’ and ‘Ground G’ abortions are exceptionally rare: only eight such abortions have taken place in England and Wales over the past 10 years, four happening last year, one in 2013, one in 2012, one in 2011, and one in 2006.
“It beggars belief that Ireland, with a population of 4.6 million, could have required more emergency terminations in one year than England and Wales, with a combined population of 56 million, have needed in 10.
“Even non-emergency abortions to save the lives of mothers are far from common there, with – on average – 62 of 186,900 abortions in each of the last five years being ‘Ground A’ abortions because ‘the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were terminated’.
The figures, Daly writes, makes it very difficult for Ireland to claim to be fulfilling its duty “as far as practicable” under the Constitution to defend and vindicate the rights to life of Ireland’s unborn.
