169 babies were aborted last year in County Donegal

Official statistics released by the Department of Health for notifications received show that there were 169 babies aborted last year in County Donegal.

Responding to the 2022 abortion rate in County Donegal and nationally, Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy said each individual loss of life is a tragedy.

"It’s important to acknowledge that abortion is not just any ‘medical procedure’ but is defined by the 2018 law as the intentional ending of the life of a foetus. Thus, the 169 abortions in Co. Donegal represent a human life that will never be lived.

“The overall statistics show a massive rise in the number of abortions in Ireland. In 2018, the year of the referendum, there were an estimated 3,911 Irish abortions (a combination of the numbers of Irish abortions in England and Wales, and an estimated 1,000 abortion pills taken in Ireland).

"Yet the Department of Health has now reported it received notifications for 8,156 abortions in 2022. The true figure is likely even higher, as doctors were paid for performing 8,876 abortions in 2022 – with 720 likely going unreported. This represents a 127% rise comparing 2018 with 2022.

Ms Mulroy ppointed out that in the 2018 referendum, senior campaigners and government ministers vowed that legalising abortion would not see a jump in the number of abortions in Ireland, implying that abortion was somehow inevitable and that legalising abortion here would simply cut out the ‘abortion trail’ to England.

"In reality, we’ve seen an abortion culture set in, with many women facing an unplanned pregnancy and feeling that they have no alternative than to have an abortion. This should never be the case.

“This month, Leo Varadkar expressed his concern about the soaring abortion rate, but indicated the solution was to promote free contraceptives and better sex education in schools. However, that does nothing for women who do find themselves in unplanned pregnancies.

"Clearly greater supports are needed to ensure no woman ever feels compelled into having an abortion due to socio-economic factors – which are the reason for most abortions,” she said.