Press release
Minister for Health announces the provision of termination of pregnancy services in additional Maternity Hospitals
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has announced the provision of termination of pregnancy services in five additional maternity hospital sites. They are Kilkenny, Portiuncula, Letterkenny, Wexford and Portlaoise. The service will commence from Monday 4 December 2023.
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.
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."
Expanded services for termination of pregnancy under the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 (“2018 Act”) were introduced from 1 January 2019. It is government policy that termination of pregnancy services under the 2018 Act should be provided in all 19 maternity hospitals.
The HSE National Women & Infants Health Programme (NWIHP) has advised that all 19 maternity hospitals offer a range of termination of pregnancy services that include:
Currently 12 of the 19 maternity hospitals are providing termination of pregnancy services, as prescribed in the 2018 Act, which includes termination in early pregnancy (that is, under 12 weeks). These hospitals are listed on the HSE website.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) has advised that the remaining two hospitals, Cavan and Clonmel, will begin service provision in 2024.