Ireland Deserves Answers: The Hidden Reality of Babies Born Alive After Abortion

26.01.2026

Growing concern is mounting over the Health Service Executive’s continued refusal to give clear answers about what happens to babies who survive late‑term abortions in Ireland. Recent parliamentary questions from Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn have confirmed that the HSE acknowledges such cases do occur, yet the agency has repeatedly declined to outline what care if any is provided to these newborns.

While the HSE insists these situations are “rare,” official perinatal mortality data suggests otherwise. Since the introduction of Ireland’s abortion law in 2019, more than 100 babies are recorded as having been born alive following termination procedures. Although some were delivered at extremely early gestational ages, the figures indicate that not all fell into this category, prompting serious ethical and medical questions about the treatment they received after birth.

The HSE has pointed to factors such as gestational age and the method of termination as influencing survival outcomes, presenting them as though they are outside its control. In reality, both are the result of deliberate clinical decisions. Choosing to end a pregnancy at a stage when survival is possible—and selecting a procedure with foreseeable risks—raises profound questions about responsibility and duty of care.

Despite repeated requests, the HSE has avoided providing meaningful detail. This lack of transparency undermines public trust and leaves families and citizens without answers on an issue involving the most vulnerable human lives.

The public deserves clarity on how its laws are being implemented. As long as these questions remain unanswered, elected representatives will continue pressing for accountability and humane treatment for every child born alive—regardless of the circumstances of their birth. When a society removes fundamental protections from the unborn, it inevitably creates a dangerous moral vacuum where even the rights of babies born alive can become uncertain—a stark reminder of how quickly human rights can erode once that line is crossed.