Are HSE Admitting Discrimination Against Pro-Life Counselling Agencies

30.05.2025

In a significant development, the HSE has officially acknowledged that it changed its approach to pregnancy counselling following the introduction of abortion services in Ireland—resulting in the defunding of all agencies that provide support for women in unplanned pregnancies without referring for abortion.

The admission came in response to a parliamentary question from Independent TD Carol Nolan. The HSE stated it “changed the model of service delivery in line with the introduction of Termination of Pregnancy services,” and admitted that “some services were unable to operate in that framework due to their ethos.”

In plain terms, why are organisations with a pro-life ethos—many of which had provided excellent care and long-standing support for women in crisis—denied state funding simply because they don’t refer for abortion. What followed was not a neutral policy shift, but a targeted exclusion of compassionate, life-affirming services that help both mother and baby.

This overdue admission by the HSE shines a light on a deeper truth—state policy is now operating within a single ideological framework, and women facing unplanned pregnancies are being denied access to the full range of support and information they deserve.

The rise in abortion numbers since 2019 is not happening in a vacuum. When the State cuts off funding to pro-life supports, while actively promoting abortion access, the message is clear: there is one acceptable answer to a crisis pregnancy—and that is a tragedy for women, for babies, and for real choice. The government have removed human rights from the unborn in the constitution and they are doing it in their every day actions in Government.

No functioning democracy should tolerate a public health system that silences one side of the conversation. The Minister for Health has a duty to ensure that all perspectives, especially those offering practical, non-violent alternatives, have a voice at the table.

Reinstating support for life-affirming counselling services is not just a pro-life issue—it is a matter of fairness, plurality, and informed consent.