Ireland report: 12 infants born alive after abortions in 2022

Statistics recently released from Health Service Executive (HSE) Ireland have revealed that 12 babies were recorded as being born alive after abortion attempts in Ireland in 2022. All reportedly died soon after birth.

Key Takeaways:

• A report from Ireland recorded 12 babies as born alive following abortion attempts in 2022, but they died soon after.

• 11 of those 12 were attempted late-term abortions.

• There are statistics from countries throughout the world showing that infants are born alive following botched abortions.

The Details:

Pro-Life Campaign, an Irish organization, reports that HSE provided the number of 12 born-alive infants following a parliamentary question submitted by Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn.

Notably, the HSE response indicated that of the 12 babies, just one was under 22 weeks gestation. Nine were 22 to 27 weeks gestation, while one was over 27 weeks. This means that 11 infants were killed in later-stage abortions and died at an age when premature infants have survived outside the womb. (Babies have survived with medical intervention when born as young as 21 weeks gestation.)

The abortion procedure used during the second trimester usually involves pulling the child apart limb by limb; in the third trimester, the preborn baby is poisoned with feticide in a process that takes one to two days. The mother must then deliver the body of her baby, who is usually dead — but, as this data shows, may be delivered alive.

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“It is truly shocking to learn that so many babies have been born alive after abortion in Ireland and that there isn’t clarity about what so-called 'comfort care' means and what standard of medical care is being provided to these babies," said Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy.

Deputy Ken O’Flynn, who submitted the request for information, is now calling for more to be done to care for infants who may survive abortion. He stated:

It is hard to fathom that babies are being born alive after abortions in Ireland and sadly you have to go round in circles just to get answers as to how the babies are treated once they come into this world.

There needs to be a lot more openness surrounding the medical care given to or withheld from the babies in these appalling situations. The answer to my parliamentary question should serve as the beginning, not the end, of the flow of information.

Zoom Out:

Though abortion supporters continually claim that abortion survivors are rare, Ireland is far from the only country that has released troubling statistics proving otherwise.

One report from Canada found that nearly 25% of babies survived late-term abortions in the province of Alberta between 2023 and 2024. An Austrian study found that over 50% of abortions between 20 and 24 weeks gestation resulted in a live birth.

This also isn't the first instance that Ireland has reported infants born alive following abortion procedures. A study released in 2020 revealed that doctors were actually having difficulties performing late-term abortions due to the number of infants who were surviving the procedure.

The Bottom Line:

Abortion supporters claim that the preborn child in the womb is not a person and therefore doesn't have any rights — but it's hard to substantiate that claim when a baby is born, living and breathing, yet injured due to an abortion attempt.

The location of the child makes no difference — whether inside of the womb or outside of it, killing an innocent human is always wrong.