New research from Ireland shows 12% of women visit ER after abortion pill

New research from Ireland reveals that 12% of women who took the abortion pill between January 2019 and December 2022 required a visit to an emergency room due to complications.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Recent research from Ireland about the abortion pill showed 12% of women went to the ER for bleeding or infection. In addition, 16% suffered incomplete abortions.

• This percentage corresponds with a recent U.S. insurance database analysis from the EPPC, showing a nearly 11% “serious adverse events” rate after taking the abortion pill.

• The Pro Life Campaign has requested an urgent meeting with Ireland’s Minister of Health regarding the Irish study’s findings.

THE DETAILS:

The research, published in the Irish Journal of Sociology, is a retrospective review of cases of in-patient abortion pill use up to 12 weeks of gestation. Researchers analyzed data from a single tertiary hospital in Ireland from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2022. It included 149 women who each underwent a pre-abortion consultation with an OB/GYN prior to taking the abortion pill. Twelve percent (12%) of the women presented to an emergency department for concerns with infection or bleeding.

In addition, the Health Service Executive told Deputy Carol Nolan TD that from 2019-2024, there were 29 incidents where “moderate harm” was reported for women undergoing abortions.

In addition to the 18 women who suffered complications that led to emergency department visits, 24 of the 149 women had incomplete abortions (16%); these were completed either with additional doses of misoprostol or follow-up surgical abortions.

COMMENTARY: 

“These findings taken together are very troubling and should prompt a serious official response,” said Pro Life Campaign spokesperson, Eilís Mulroy. “The reply to the recent Parliamentary Questions showing that for 29 women since 2019, the damage done to them by the abortion they had reached the level of ‘moderate harm’ includes an increased length of stay in hospital and the possibility of ‘causing permanent or long-term harm or loss of function’ for the woman.”

Mulroy continued, “The possibility of such an outcome is very serious for the women involved. It raises the question: why is there little or no public discussion on this and other deeply troubling effects of the new abortion law previously raised?”

The Pro Life Campaign has called for a meeting to discuss the study’s findings and any other developments in the Irish abortion law.

“In the interests of women’s health and the lives of unborn babies, those in positions of power need to start acknowledging what’s happening under the new law, including the massive increase in abortions and the adverse consequences of abortion on women that are not being faced,” said Mulroy. “The Pro Life Campaign is requesting an urgent meeting with the Minister for Health to discuss the matter.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE:

These findings mirror those of an April 2025 analysis published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), which found that nearly 11% of women (10.93%) experienced sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or other serious or life-threatening adverse events within 45 days of taking the abortion pill, based on an insurance claims database. This rate is 22 times higher than the “less than 0.5 percent” serious adverse events rate reported by the FDA on the mifepristone label.

What these studies show is that the abortion pill is likely more dangerous for women than they realize.