‘Women in Ireland value reflection period before abortion’, says columnist

Waiting three days before proceeding with an abortion is a “vital window for reflection”, a columnist has emphasised.

Writing in The Irish Independent, Sarah Carey criticised Ruth Coppinger TD’s attempt to remove the three-day mandatory waiting period through the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) (Amendment) Bill 2026.

Carey highlighted that of the 12,641 consultations for abortion in 2024, 2,200 women did not proceed with an abortion. Although the reasons are unknown, she emphasised that those women “cannot and should not be ignored”.

‘Ridiculous’

The columnist attacked Coppinger’s “ridiculous comparison” of abortions to procedures such as rhinoplasty, which have no mandatory wait.

Carey said: “Who gets a nose job on the same day from their doctor?”

“There are few, if any, elective procedures that can be procured in a day. You couldn’t get a mole removed or a varicose vein zapped on the same day. Patients go to a doctor first and a procedure is scheduled later. That’s the norm.”

Although Carey describes herself as pro-abortion, she said that because “it is such a grave decision, I think most reasonable people see the value in a few days of reflection”.

Home abortions

Based on an internal study, the Irish Family Planning Association recently admitted that between 2019 and 2024 eleven clients who attended a preliminary appointment with them decided to continue with their pregnancy after the three-day mandatory waiting period.

Abortion is available on demand in Ireland up to twelve weeks, with a three-day reflection period. Since the coronavirus pandemic, women have been allowed to take pills to abort their babies at home.