Ruth Coppinger's New Bill Aims Removal of Ireland’s Life‑Saving Three‑Day Reflection Period

04.02.2026

A renewed push to dismantle one of Ireland’s last remaining abortion safeguards has emerged following Deputy Ruth Coppinger’s latest bill, introduced in the Dáil. The proposal aims to abolish the mandatory three‑day reflection period. This waiting period has quietly but powerfully shaped real‑world outcomes for thousands of women and unborn children.

picture: the Irish Times

What the Bill Seeks to Change

Coppinger’s Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) (Amendment) Bill 2026 would eliminate the 72‑hour pause between a first consultation and the procedure. She argued in the chamber that the waiting period is paternalistic and unnecessary, framing it as an obstacle rather than a safeguard.

Why the Three‑Day Pause Matters

Newly released HSE figures show that between 2019 and 2024, over 10,400 women attended an initial appointment but did not return for the second consultation after the three‑day interval. That is not a statistic to be brushed aside. It represents thousands of children who were not aborted—and thousands of women who, given time to breathe, reflect, and step back from crisis, chose a different path.

The reflection period is not a bureaucratic delay. It is a life‑saving measure. It protects women from making irreversible decisions under pressure, fear, or temporary distress. In any other area of human rights, the idea of removing a safeguard that demonstrably prevents harm would be unthinkable.

If Ireland is serious about human rights, that commitment must extend to every human being—including those not yet born. The three‑day pause is one of the few remaining acknowledgements in law that unborn children possess inherent value and deserve protection. Rather than scrapping it, the national conversation should be moving toward strengthening such safeguards, not dismantling them.