Abortion bill 2025

How TDs voted to the abortion bill : December 2025

TDs have voted by a tiny margin not to restore a Bill which would have decriminalised abortion and removed the three day waiting period.

The Private Members Bill, spearheaded by People Before Profit, lapsed on the dissolution of the 33rd Dáil, with TD Paul Murphy tonight unsuccessful in his bid to have the legislation restored to the order paper.

In an electronic vote late on Wednesday night, TDs opposed the legislation by 70 votes to 72 – making it the closest vote in this Dáil session. Two additional people voted after a roll-call vote was sought by Mr Murphy, making the final result 71 to 73.

The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) (Amendment) Bill 2023, sought to amend Ireland’s abortion law to decriminalise the provision of abortion in Ireland. It passed its first and second stage in the Dáil in January 2023 before lapsing when the Dáil was dissolved for last year’s general election. In May 2023, the Bill passed by a narrow margin of 67 votes in favour to 64 against.

The Bill sought to abolish the mandatory three-day-waiting period for abortion, a guarantee promised as a safeguard to voters in 2018. It further sought to allow for abortion of unborn babies prenatally diagnosed with a life-limiting condition without a set gestational time limit. The Bill would have decriminalised the provision of abortion.

The Private Members’ Bill was originally put forward by Bríd Smith who retired from politics at the last general election. She had sponsored the Bill along with fellow TDs Paul Murphy, Richard Boyd Barrett, and Gino Kenny, who lost his seat at the last general election. The Bill had also been sponsored by Cork People Before Profit TD Mick Barry, who also lost his seat in the last election.

Speaking tonight, pro-life TD and leader of Aontú, Peadar Tóibín, highlighted how his former party, Sinn Fein, voted on the controversial Bill.

“Aontú won the 1st round of the vote against decriminalising abortion up to birth,” he said. [Sinn Fein] voted for the bill that seeks to decriminalise abortion right up until birth.”

In a later update, the TD wrote that “the hard left lost the second vote to decriminalise abortion up until birth.”

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How did the TDs vote?

Independent Ireland TDs present in the chamber voted against the Bill, as did Aontú.

The Social Democrats, People Before Profit, Labour and a number of Independents voted in favour of the Bill, as did the Sinn Fein TDs who were present.

Notably, Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill voted in favour of the legislation being restored, as did Minister for Expenditure, Jack Chambers, who had voted no in the 2018 abortion referendum.

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan voted against the Bill to decriminalise abortion, as did Fianna Fáil’s Mary Butler, who has served as Government Chief Whip since January 2025, and who notably voted no in the abortion referendum.

Party colleague Deputy Albert Dolan joined them in voting no, alongside Deputies John Connolly, Martin Daly, Cathal Crowe, Sean Fleming, and Aindrias Moynihan.

Fianna Fáil Minister of State at the Department of Justice, Niall Collins TD and party colleague Charlie McConalogue, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, also voted no. Minister Michael Moynihan and Minister Niamh Smyth were also among those who voted against.

Erin McGreehan TD and Aisling Dempsey TD, who were both elected at the last general election for the party, also voted no.

Minister Alan Dillon of Fine Gael voted no, as did his party colleagues Minister Martin Heydon and Minister for Culture, Patrick O’Donovan.

Fine Gael Minister Emer Higgins was among a number of TDs who abstained, whilst Minister for Defence Helen McEntee voted in favour.

Seán Canney TD was among Independents who voted no, as was Marian Harkin TD, Mattie McGrath TD, Danny Healy-Rae TD, Carol Nolan TD, Paul Gogarty TD, Michael Lowry TD, Gillian Toole TD, and Minister Michael Healy-Rae.

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TDs who voted FOR the abortion Bill: Tá / Yes

Ahern, Ciarán

Bacik, Ivana
Bennett, Cathy
Boland, Grace
Boyd Barrett, Richard
Brady, John
Buckley, Pat
Butterly, Paula
Byrne, Joanna

Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer
Carthy, Matt
Chambers, Jack
Conway-Walsh, Rose
Coppinger, Ruth
Cronin, Réada
Crowe, Seán
Cullinane, David.
Cummins, Jen

Daly, Pa
Doherty, Pearse
Donnelly, Paul
Dooley, Timmy

Ellis, Dessie

Farrelly, Aidan
Farrell, Mairéad

Gannon, Gary
Geoghegan, James
Gibney, Sinéad
Gould, Thomas
Graves, Ann
Guirke, Johnny

Hayes, Eoin

Healy, Seamus

Hearne, Rory

Kenny, Martin
Kerrane, Claire

Lawless, James
Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig

McAuliffe, Paul
McEntee, Helen
McGettigan, Donna
McGuinness, Conor D
Mitchell, Denise
Murphy, Paul
Mythen, Johnny

Nash, Ged
Newsome Drennan, Natasha

O'Callaghan, Cian
O'Donoghue, Robert
O'Gorman, Roderic
O'Hara, Louis
O'Reilly, Louise
O'Rourke, Darren.
O'Sullivan, Christopher
Ó Broin, Eoin
Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh
Ó Murchú, Ruairí
Ó Snodaigh, Aengus
Ó Súilleabháin, Fionntán

Quaide, Liam
Quinlivan, Maurice

Rice, Pádraig
Richmond, Neale

Sheehan, Conor

Sherlock, Marie
Smith, Duncan
Stanley, Brian

Ward, Barry
Ward, Charles
Ward, Mark
Whitmore, Jennifer

   

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TDs who voted AGAINST the abortion Bill: Níl / No

Aird, William

Ardagh, Catherine

Brabazon, Tom
Brennan, Brian
Brennan, Shay
Browne, James
Burke, Colm
Burke, Peter
Butler, Mary
Buttimer, Jerry

Cahill, Michael
Calleary, Dara
Canney, Seán
Carrigy, Micheál
Cleere, Peter 'Chap'
Clendennen, John
Collins, Michael
Collins, Niall
Connolly, John
Cooney, Joe
Crowe, Cathal

Daly, Martin
Dempsey, Aisling.
Dillon, Alan
Dolan, Albert

Feighan, Frankie
Fitzmaurice, Michael
Fleming, Sean
Foley, Norma

Gallagher, Pat the Cope
Gogarty, Paul Nicholas

Harkin, Marian

Healy-Rae, Danny
Healy-Rae, Michael
Heydon, Martin

Keogh, Keira

Lahart, John
Lawless, Paul
Lowry, Michael

Maxwell, David
McCarthy, Noel
McConalogue, Charlie
McCormack, Tony
McGrath, Mattie
McGrath, Séamus.
McGreehan, Erin
Moran, Kevin Boxer
Moynihan, Aindrias
Moynihan, Michael.
Moynihan, Shane
Murnane O'Connor, Jennifer
Murphy, Michael

Neville, Joe
Nolan, Carol

O'Callaghan, Jim
O'Connell, Maeve
O'Connor, James.
O'Dea, Willie
O'Donnell, Kieran
O'Donoghue, Richard.
O'Donovan, Patrick
O'Meara, Ryan
O'Shea, John Paul
O'Sullivan, Pádraig

Ó Fearghaíl, Seán
Ó Muirí, Naoise

Roche, Peter

Scanlon, Eamon
Smith, Brendan
Smyth, Niamh
Timmins, Edward
Toole, Gillian

     

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Staon / Abstain

Brophy, Colm
Byrne, Malcolm

Higgins, Emer

Ó Cearúil, Naoise

   

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Links

Dáil Vote : https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/d...