Abortion services to be offered in two local hospitals

Abortion services will be provided in Portlaoise and Portiuncula hospitals from Monday.

The news was announced today, in a statement, by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly who said the termination of pregnancy services would be also be provided in three other maternity hospitals from Monday. These are Kilkenny, Letterkenny and Wexford.

This will bring the total number of maternity hospitals providing early (under 12 weeks) termination of pregnancy services, as prescribed in the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, to seventeen, he said.

Minister Donnelly said: “This expansion is a significant step towards the provision of full termination services for women in all nineteen maternity hospitals. I would like to acknowledge the work of the HSE National Women and Infant Health Programme, the hospitals and the service providers who have contributed to this important milestone in termination of pregnancy services in Ireland.

"I look forward to further expansion of services in 2024 and the reality of safe, equitable access to this service for all women.”

Dr Aoife Mullally, the HSE Clinical Lead for Termination Services, said: “I welcome this significant expansion of termination of pregnancy care. This will enable women to access care in their local units without the additional burden of travel. I acknowledge the leadership of the Clinical Lead Consultants in all maternity units who have worked extremely hard to develop these services and provide high-quality, compassionate care for women.

"While the majority of early pregnancy abortion care is provided in the community, a hospital-based service is essential for some women and is a valuable support for the community-based service.”