Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 May 2026
1106. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Health the number of women who have had two or more terminations of pregnancy notified under the 2018 Act since 1 January 2019, by year and by whether the repeat procedure occurred within 12 months of the previous one; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34615/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder section 20 (1) of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, a notification of each termination of pregnancy carried out under the legislation must be notified to the Minister for Health within 28 days of it being carried out. Section 20, subsections (3) and (4), require the Minister to prepare a report on the notifications received in a given year not later than 30 June the following year and thereafter to lay it before the Houses of the Oireachtas and arrange for its publication.
The notifications are recorded on the form entitled “Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 (Notifications) Regulations 2018” (Statutory Instrument No. 597 of 2018). The following information is included in the form:
• 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)
• The date on which the termination of pregnancy was carried out.
No information regarding the previous number of terminations an individual has had are notified to the Minister as part of this process.
All the information permitted to be published under the Act on terminations of pregnancy carried out in years 2019-2024 were laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and published the same day. All previous reports are available on the Government of Ireland website.
