Responding to the report in the Irish Times (5 August 2025) that the HSE’s National Women and Infants Health Programme intends to roll out new data collection policies to ensure more information about abortion is recorded, Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy said:
“This is an important policy development which we wholeheartedly welcome. It’s only now sinking in that data collection with regards to abortion has been extremely restricted, confined to limited data focused on the number of abortions under each section of the 2018 Act carried out with a breakdown only available per month and county. This has impaired researchers and policymakers from getting a clearer and more accurate picture of abortion in Ireland, which is essential for analysing trends including risks and dangers to women’s health and wellbeing.
“Whilst this new policy is positive, it should have been an essential part of data collection since the law became effective in 2019. During the drafting of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018, an amendment was tabled which would have ensured comprehensive data (modelled on the English HSA4 form) was collected, such as age and gravidity. During the debate on the amendment, some politicians like Deputy Joan Burton claimed the amendment was akin to ‘apartheid in South Africa’ because it included data about ethnicity, which is included in the English form without contention. These kinds of interventions distracted from the overall intention of the information amendment, and it was summarily rejected by the government which instead opted for a narrow data policy.
“Whilst it is welcome that the HSE has recognised the importance of comprehensive and accurate data collection, this should have been a key component of abortion policy since the law became operational seven years ago.”