Last year saw a significant jump in the number of women who accessed abortion “services”.

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly told RTÉ Radio 1’s News at One programme that “over 8,500 women availed of termination of pregnancy services in Ireland last year.”

In response, Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy said “this is a huge jump from the approximately 6,700 abortions which took place in 2021. It represents an almost 27% increase in just one year, a devastating trend which further illuminates how the Irish abortion rate is quickly spiralling”.

She added: “This is the result of a government which has shown a complete lack of interest in providing women in unplanned pregnancies with real alternatives to abortion. We know that most abortions are caused by socioeconomic factors. A total of approximately 28,500 abortions (comparable to the population of Kilkenny city) in just four years is symptomatic of government failure across the board to provide families with the basic confidence and supports required to raise a child in Ireland today”.