Deputies Peter Roche and Colm Burke Put HSE Under Pressure Over Evidence for Scrapping Three-Day Abortion Wait

29.09.2026

Two Fine Gael TDs have challenged key arguments for removing Ireland’s three-day waiting period for abortion, questioning both the nature of the procedure and significant gaps in the available evidence.

During hearings of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health, Galway East TD Peter Roche questioned the comparison between abortion and other procedures in general practice.

“Is there any other procedure in general practice whose direct and intended purpose is to end a life?” Roche asked.

The response from the witness was: “Not that I’m aware of, Deputy.”

Roche has stated that he will not support the Bill abolishing the three-day wait and has also highlighted the more than 10,000 additional first consultations compared with second consultations recorded between 2019 and 2024.

At a subsequent hearing, Fine Gael TD Colm Burke pursued the HSE on precisely what is known about those women.

“My understanding… is that over 10,000 women did not return for the second consultation,” Burke said, questioning whether this warranted further investigation.

When the HSE suggested possible explanations, including miscarriage, hospital referral or attending another doctor,Dept Burke pressed the central evidence gap: “There is not detailed analysis of all of that in real terms, however. No detailed analysis has been done by the HSE of that.”

The HSE stressed that the difference between first and second consultations cannot be interpreted as showing that all of these women continued their pregnancies, pointing to separate IFPA data indicating that 1.8% in that dataset continued their pregnancies.

Burke nevertheless highlighted the absence of comprehensive follow-up research, noting that the 2022 research repeatedly cited in the debate involved interviews with just 59 women.

The exchanges underline a significant unresolved question in the debate: before the three-day safeguard is removed, should substantially more research be carried out into what actually happened to the thousands of women who did not return to the same doctor for a second consultation?