Sinn Fein have will bring legislation to the Dáil next week to remove the mandatory three-day wait period for abortion in early pregnancy. Legislation put in place after the 2018 referendum stated that women must attend two medical appointments three days apart before they are given medicine to terminate their pregnancy . Termination of pregnancy is only available up to 12 weeks. An anonymised analysis of early abortion in 2021, from the Irish Family Planning Association showed 97.5% of people still went ahead with abortion
care after the three-day gap. Sinn Fein are now set to bring legislation to the Dáil on Tuesday which would remove the three-day “cooling off” period and stop the need for some women to travel abroad after receiving a diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality. Sinn Féin Leader Mary Lou McDonald said she believes that this legislation will be passed. “The three-day wait should never have been introduced and has had serious consequences,” she said. “It is time for the law to change and this would
be a significant move towards compassion and ensuring barriers to women accessing healthcare are removed.” “Since the passing of abortion legislation, following the Repeal referendum, there have been concerns expressed at the mandatory three-day wait and the negative implications that it has had for women. “Any woman taking this decision will have given it deep thought and removing the mandatory wait does not mean that a woman cannot take more time if she wishes. That option is always there. But forcing a woman to adhere
to a three-day mandatory wait is not acceptable and has had a very negative impact. “It has meant that some women cannot get access to care because of difficulty getting a GP in their county. It has also had serious consequences for women in very difficult circumstances where they are victims of domestic violence or sexual assault.” Ms McDonald said ” there is widespread support across society for removing the mandatory three day wait”. “This would be a significant move towards compassion and ensuring women
can access healthcare when they need it,” she added. “We published the legislation and moved it to first stage on June 7, a number of weeks after the party’s Ard Fheis endorsed the position. The legislation will be debated in the Dáil on Tuesday, June 16 and voted on the following night.” The Sinn Féin Bill is the second piece of legislation introduced on the issue in the past month. In April, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns brought forward a Bill to remove the mandatory
three-day wait. The bill was denied a second reading, with 85 TDs voting against, 30 in favour and 36 abstaining. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
Sinn Féin, Dáil, abortion, three-day wait, mandatory delay, June 16, Mary Lou McDonald, 2018 referendum, Repeal referendum, Irish Family Planning Association, fatal foetal abnormality