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Poll: Majority want to keep Ireland's three-day abortion waiting period
As Ireland's lawmakers consider legislation to eliminate the country's three-day abortion waiting period, a new poll has found that the majority of respondents are in favor of keeping it.
A poll conducted by Pro Life Campaign in Ireland found the majority of respondents are in favor of keeping a mandatory three-day waiting period for women before they have an abortion.
Irish lawmakers are currently considering legislation that would overturn the waiting period requirement.
Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy said that over a five-year period, 10,534 women did not return for abortions after the three-day waiting period had elapsed.
The poll, conducted by Pro Life Campaign and carried out by Amárach Research, surveyed 877 respondents between July 28 and August 4, 2026.
Of the respondents, 55.3% said they support retaining the three-day waiting period, while 44.7% were in favor of eliminating it.
“We are very encouraged, though not surprised, by these results. Public support for retaining the three-day reflection period has been evident for months and, if anything, appears to be strengthening," said Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy.
Mulroy also noted (emphasis added):
“As more people hear the full case for retaining the three-day reflection period, we believe public support will grow even stronger. Replies to parliamentary questions show that, over a five-year period, 10,534 women did not return to proceed with an abortion after the three-day period had elapsed. That’s an incredible figure and one that, in our view, proves the life-saving impact of the waiting period. We hear from women all the time about how important the reflection period was to them in providing that extra space to think through such a profound and life-altering decision.
When abortion was legalized in Ireland in 2018, it was required that women wait three days after initially meeting with an abortionist before the abortion could actually take place. This waiting period was seen as a necessary requirement to ensure that a woman has full, informed consent before making life-altering, life-ending decision to abort.
In June, the Irish political party Sinn Féin introduced legislation to remove the waiting period. At the time, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald claimed:
“We believe that this legislation will be passed. The three-day wait should never have been introduced and has had serious consequences. It is time for the law to change, and this would be a significant move towards compassion and ensuring barriers to women accessing healthcare are removed.”
According to Pro Life Campaign, the legislation is still being considered in the Dáil (Irish Parliament).
Since abortion's legalization in Ireland, the number of preborn children killed has skyrocketed.
As the Pro Life Campaign comments emphasize, waiting periods save lives — and many people are in favor of keeping them. If abortion really is about "choice," as so many abortion advocates claim, wouldn't they want to ensure the woman has time to reflect that she is making the right one?
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
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·International·By Bridget Sielicki
Poll: Majority want to keep Ireland's three-day abortion waiting period
As Ireland's lawmakers consider legislation to eliminate the country's three-day abortion waiting period, a new poll has found that the majority of respondents are in favor of keeping it.
A poll conducted by Pro Life Campaign in Ireland found the majority of respondents are in favor of keeping a mandatory three-day waiting period for women before they have an abortion.
Irish lawmakers are currently considering legislation that would overturn the waiting period requirement.
Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy said that over a five-year period, 10,534 women did not return for abortions after the three-day waiting period had elapsed.
The poll, conducted by Pro Life Campaign and carried out by Amárach Research, surveyed 877 respondents between July 28 and August 4, 2026.
Of the respondents, 55.3% said they support retaining the three-day waiting period, while 44.7% were in favor of eliminating it.
“We are very encouraged, though not surprised, by these results. Public support for retaining the three-day reflection period has been evident for months and, if anything, appears to be strengthening," said Pro Life Campaign spokesperson Eilís Mulroy.
Mulroy also noted (emphasis added):
“As more people hear the full case for retaining the three-day reflection period, we believe public support will grow even stronger. Replies to parliamentary questions show that, over a five-year period, 10,534 women did not return to proceed with an abortion after the three-day period had elapsed. That’s an incredible figure and one that, in our view, proves the life-saving impact of the waiting period. We hear from women all the time about how important the reflection period was to them in providing that extra space to think through such a profound and life-altering decision.
When abortion was legalized in Ireland in 2018, it was required that women wait three days after initially meeting with an abortionist before the abortion could actually take place. This waiting period was seen as a necessary requirement to ensure that a woman has full, informed consent before making life-altering, life-ending decision to abort.
In June, the Irish political party Sinn Féin introduced legislation to remove the waiting period. At the time, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald claimed:
“We believe that this legislation will be passed. The three-day wait should never have been introduced and has had serious consequences. It is time for the law to change, and this would be a significant move towards compassion and ensuring barriers to women accessing healthcare are removed.”
According to Pro Life Campaign, the legislation is still being considered in the Dáil (Irish Parliament).
Since abortion's legalization in Ireland, the number of preborn children killed has skyrocketed.
As the Pro Life Campaign comments emphasize, waiting periods save lives — and many people are in favor of keeping them. If abortion really is about "choice," as so many abortion advocates claim, wouldn't they want to ensure the woman has time to reflect that she is making the right one?
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Nancy Flanders
·Abortion Pill
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Nancy Flanders
·International
Cassy Cooke
·Politics
Right to Life UK
·International
Cassy Cooke
·Abortion Pill
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Issues
Bridget Sielicki
·International
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·