Ireland’s Hidden Tragedy: 10,852 Abortions Signal Deepening Crisis

23.07.2025

In the wake of Ireland’s 2018 abortion referendum, new figures reveal a heart-wrenching reality: 10,852 abortions took place in 2024 alone. That’s a staggering rise—nearly four times the total from 2018, when the figure stood at 2,879. Just seven years later, one out of every six pregnancies in Ireland ends in abortion.

These figures shatter the promise that abortion would remain “safe, legal, and rare.” The explosive increase since 2018 reveals that rarity was never truly the intention. Far from pausing to consider the gravity of each decision, abortion advocates now seek to accelerate access even further by eliminating the life-saving three-day waiting period—a safeguard credited with saving over 4,000 lives since its introduction.

Rather than reassessing the system amid these record-breaking numbers, some voices are pushing for less reflection, less restraint, and fewer opportunities for women to consider alternatives. The current trajectory by the Government makes clear that abortion is not just more common—it is being streamlined, normalised, and expanded, leaving little room for compassion or choice beyond termination by a government who dont consider the right to life.

This sobering reality presents a compelling case not for weakening safeguards, but for strengthening them. If three days of reflection have helped thousands choose life, then why not extend that window to seven or even eight days? A longer pause could provide more space for support, discussion, and clarity. A few extra days could mean the difference between loss and life.

Meanwhile, the media silence grows thicker. The press reports little. The heartbreak goes unseen.

But the truth cannot be buried. As Ireland approaches another year of reflection since the repeal of the Eighth Amendment, many are asking—not with judgment but with grief—what kind of society are we shaping? And how many more lives will be lost before we dare to listen?