The personalised attacks were among the nastiest and most insidious directed at witnesses before an Oireachtas committee in recent memory.

But when women’s testimony doesn’t chime with his own ideological stance, he appears far less interested in what they have to say.

Women with firsthand experience of three-day wait speak out at Dublin event

Take a few minutes to read Breda O’Brien’s marvellous keynote address from last weekend’s pro-life dinner in Dublin.

This is not evidence-based policymaking. It is advocacy dressed up as evidence.

“We know from the HSE’s own figures that between 2019–2024, over 10,000 women didn’t return after the reflection period, but rather than exploring how many of these women changed their minds and the reasons why, the HSE has produced no research or evidence to clarify these crucial questions.

The Bill was opposed by the leaders of Labour, the Conservatives, Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats, while not a single Northern Irish MP voted in favour.

It’s relevant to note that medics on both sides of the abortion debate agree that the three-day wait should be retained.

Of those who expressed an opinion, 55.3% of respondents voiced support for retention of the three-day wait, while 44.7% favoured its removal.