Senator Sharon Keogan called for unborn babies to be recognised as victims in violence towards pregnant women

Image credit: Senator Sharon Keogan via Facebook / Freestocks via Unsplash

Senator Sharon Keogan has called for the unborn child to be legally recognised as a victim when a violent act has been committed against a woman and the child dies as a result.

The tragic news of the murder of Sarah Montgomery, mother of two girls, hit headlines two weeks ago. At the time of her murder, Montgomery was 34-weeks pregnant with her first boy, who sadly passed along with his mother. A 28-year-old man has been arrested and charged for her murder.

In light of this tragic case, Senator Sharon Keogan spoke in the Senate last week calling it a “national disgrace” that so many mothers had to avail of Women’s Aid due to abuse from a partner.

“The Women's Aid 2024 annual report published last week paints a harrowing picture of domestic abuse in this country,” she said. “Among the most disturbing findings is that 188 pregnant, post-partum or post-termination women were supported by Women's Aid last year due to intimate partner abuse. This is not just a statistic; it is a national disgrace.”

“Just this weekend, a 27-year-old mother of two was murdered in Donaghadee in Northern Ireland. She was 34 weeks' pregnant; two lives lost, two victims,” she continued. “Similarly, let us not forget the case of Ailish Walsh, a young woman from Dublin who was 22 weeks' pregnant when she was stabbed to death by her partner in 2022. The court heard he intended to kill her unborn child but no charges were brought for that death.”

Drawing upon the fact that two lives were lost during each tragic case, Senator Keogan called for the law to provide legal protection for unborn babies who die as a result of violence enacted towards a woman.

“The Pregnancy Loss (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 currently before this House rightly recognises the profound loss experienced by families whose babies die before the 24-week threshold for stillborn registration. This is a welcome step but does not go far enough,” she said.

“We must now ask, where is the legal protection for the unborn victims of violence? When a pregnant woman is attacked and her unborn child dies as a result, our laws do not treat that as a loss of a human life. This is a moral and legal failing.”

“I intend to support any legislation to address this gap because justice must be done, not just for the women who suffer but for the unborn children who die unseen and unaccounted for.”

Sandra Parda of the Life Institute commented, saying: “Well said by Senator Keogan! It is very important that we as a society recognise that there are always at least two victims when a pregnant woman experiences violence: herself and her unborn child.

“This is a great call from Senator Keogan to recognise the victimhood of the unborn in these circumstances, one that we support and welcome. We must endeavour that both mother and child are protected!”