'APPALLING': ABORTIONS SURGED IN IRELAND TO 8,500 IN 2022
GRIPT NEWS reports the number of abortions performed in Ireland soared by over 25% in 2022, according to figures released on Tuesday.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly disclosed that 8,500 women in Ireland availed of abortion in 2022 – a quarter fold increase on 2021’s figures – while speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s News at One.
Releasing the figures early, he told the programme that “over 8,500 women availed of termination of pregnancy services in Ireland last year.”* This would be a significant increase on the 6,700 abortions which took place in 2021, representing almost a 27% increase in one year.
When combined with the abortion statistics from 2019-2021, this would see the total number of abortions performed in Ireland in four years jumping to a total of 28,500 following the repeal of the eighth amendment.
As pointed out by pro-life groups, this figure is equivalent to the population of Kilkenny City.
Commenting on Minister Donnelly’s release of the figures on Tuesday, pro-life organisation The Life Institute said that the rise in abortions clearly exposed a “colossal” failure on the part of the State to give women life-affirming options in situations of unplanned pregnancies. They said the women and babies behind the figures should not be forgotten, and should drive a desire and demand for change.
‘APPALLING’
“The revelation that our abortion rate jumped by 25% is appalling,” the Life Institute said.
“In July, we learned that 6,700 babies were aborted here in 2021, a devastating reflection of our country’s abortion law.
“But now we are seeing a staggering rise, with that number increasing by 1,800 to 8,500 babies aborted last year.
“It’s clear that ending the life of a child is increasingly being seen as the default answer to the very real human crisis of an unplanned pregnancy in Ireland, something which can only be described as a tragedy for us all,” the pro-life lobby group added, continuing:
“The figure of 8,500 abortions in just twelve months is very difficult to comprehend. Such a rise shows an astonishing failure on the part of our Government and our broader society to offer genuine and practical help to women who find themselves experiencing an unplanned pregnancy.
“We are now seeing more and more women taking up abortion as the route out of an unplanned pregnancy, which is symptomatic of the Government’s absolute failure to provide real solutions”.
The organisation said it is easy to talk about numbers, but the lives behind the statistics must be a focus.
“These figures are absolutely horrendous – but we must remember the lives behind this appalling jump in numbers. Every single one of those 8,500 abortions sees a unique, precious and unrepeatable life ended – and a woman failed.”
“With every abortion, a life is destroyed, and we lose a piece of our future. As a country we suffer, and as a society we suffer the more we see so much human potential snuffed out”.
The figures follow the recent revelation, covered by Gript, that almost €1 million was spent by the Health Service Executive (HSE) on advertising abortion through its official ‘My Options’ helpline in the first four years of legal abortion in Ireland.
In response to a Parliamentary Question (PQ) from Independent TD Carol Nolan in February, in which the pro-life TD asked for a breakdown of spending on advertising campaigns related to abortion provision, the HSE said it had spent €95,071 on advertising its official abortion helpline in 2022 alone.
The HSE and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly have admitted the spending is a tactic to combat “disingenuous messaging” from what they have described as “rogue” pregnancy agencies offering alternatives to abortion – including financial support and practical help.
Describing its advertising strategy, the HSE said in a statement to TD Carol Nolan:
“To help combat the promotion of disingenuous messaging, the HSE are monitoring any competitors and have set a bid management strategy to automatically increase their bids if another website appears ahead of theirs.
“The HSE monitor the search ad performance and that of disingenuous agencies on an on-going basis and share feedback with Google.”