The few remaining restrictions on abortion, including conscience protections for staff at Ireland’s hospitals, have been called into question by pro-choice campaigners.

Niall Behan, chief executive of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), called for a full decriminalisation of abortion.

Of the 19 maternity hospitals across Ireland, only ten provide full abortion ‘services’. Behan described this as “absolutely outrageous”.

Regarding the law in operation, he said there are a number of areas that need to be changed. “The most urgent and the most important for us right at the moment is the 12-week limit, which is excluding women from abortion care.”