The Pro Life Campaign has welcomed the defeat in the Dáil this evening of the Social Democrats’ bill to abolish the three-day wait before an abortion and widen the grounds for late-term abortion. The bill was defeated by 85 votes to 30.
Commenting on the pro-life win, Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy said:
“The defeat of the Social Democrats’ bill to abolish the life-saving three-day wait and widen the grounds for late-term abortion was hard-fought and is a very encouraging result.
“Immense credit goes to the terrific pro-life Oireachtas members, and to everyone who contacted their local TDs over recent days. The massive lobbying effort over the past 72 hours played a huge part in tonight’s outcome.
“With the heartbreaking tragedy of 1 in 6 pregnancies now ending in abortion in Ireland, the Social Democrats pushed things too far tonight – and they got their answer.”
While welcoming the result, the PLC warned that the threat to the three-day wait is far from over. Ms Mulroy said: “We have to factor in that some politicians voted against the Social Democrats bill for purely tactical reasons, so they can progress their own pro-abortion bill at a later stage. So our work is never done. But tonight, we are thankful for an excellent outcome. We will keep striving to build a more welcoming and supportive society for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies and their unborn babies.”